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It can be useful to choose crops that mature at the same time and can be harvested and eaten together. Many seed companies have realised this and are supplying packets of mixed seed, so you get the whole salad bowl in a single sowing. Herbs are also available like this, as are packets of mixed edible flowers — ever the adventurer in the kitchen, my husband has just put in a request for a row of these.

Alternatively, grow something speedy — rocket and radish are among the quickest — alongside something on a slow burn. When one has fizzled out, the other will just be getting going, and will need the newly available space. With this in mind, I’ve put the celeriac just a little too close to the tomatoes, hoping that by the time the tomatoes are finished, their neighbours will be able to spread out into the extra room.

If you favour the intensive approach, it’s important to put something back into the soil between sowings or plantings. Enriching vegetable beds with an organic slow-release feed or incorporating home-made compost will ensure a good second or third harvest.

Deviating from your crop-rotation plan mid-season could scupper subsequent sowings; keep brassicas, legumes and roots in the sections of the garden that have already been assigned to them for this year. That said, I try not to grow exactly the same crop in the same place straightaway, as this can promote disease. Instead, I resow further along the bed. Salads and herbs can be fitted in anywhere.

The juggling in my plot continues with reasonable success. It’s hugely challenging, but great fun, to see how much you can get out of your square footage. Next for the chop are 250 onions and almost as much garlic. This year, I’m determined to learn to plait their strappy leaves into neat strings. In the meantime... soup, anyone?

SEEDS TO SOW NOW

Radish ‘French Breakfast’: With elegant, elongated roots, this is my husband’s preferred radish — and what the cook wants, the cook (occasionally) gets.

Lettuce ‘Dazzle’: A deep red, glossy-leaved variety that contrasts beautifully with green lettuces in an ornamental vegetable garden or potager, and adds instant pizazz to the plate.

Rocket: Several types of rocket seed are readily available, with rounded or finely cut leaves, both large and small. We favour the punchy flavour of the small, wild form, but whichever you choose, few salad leaves crop as quickly.

Beetroot ‘Cylindra’: With long roots and a sweet flavour, this will keep growing through mild winters, though it benefits from a protective mulch as temperatures drop. Alternatively, the plants store well, so can be lifted and brought into a cool but frost-free place.

Swiss Chard ‘Bright Lights’: I’m growing this for the first time this year, so we’ll see what Gerard makes of its culinary value. I would give it space regardless, as the colourful stems — shades of orange, magenta and gold — are so decorative in the autumn garden.

Chicory ‘Variegata di Castelfranco’: Another new crop for me, this chicory (available from Seeds of Italy) was recommended to me by someone at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year. Its leaves are mottled with dark-red splashes, so it should look cheery in the middle of winter.

Kohlrabi ‘Delicacy Purple’: I’ll be putting in another row of these in the next few weeks. They take about eight weeks to mature, so should be perfect for harvesting when I return from holiday at the beginning of September.

Carrot ‘Autumn King 2’: Sow these late-crop carrots now and the large roots will be ready for lifting in the autumn. Alternatively, they can be left in the ground all winter without suffering ill effects such as splitting.

Suppliers: Thompson & Morgan (0844 248 5383, thompson-morgan.com); Chiltern Seeds (01229 581137, chilternseeds.co.uk); Marshalls (01480 443390, marshalls-seeds.co.uk); Simpsons (01985 845004, simpsonsseeds.co.uk); Franchi Seeds of Italy (020 8427 5020, seedsofitaly.com)

Further reading: Vegetable Growing Month by Month by John Harrison (Right Way £5.99)

FRESH IDEAS

For more tips on growing your own, visit the garden section of timesonline.co.uk/property

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