The seed sowing season has truly arrived, and many gardeners will tell you this is the most exciting time of their year. But as fast as the drills get sown and propagators fill up, it will be a couple of months before first early potatoes or tomatoes are going to be ready for the dinner table.

If you’re pining for some fresh organic produce, you could sow quick-growing veg such as radish, spring onion and cut-and-come again salad leaves - for cuttings in six weeks. These will mature quicker under cloches and eco-netting.

But you can also speed things up by sowing microgreens.

What are microgreens?

Microgreens can be ready to go in as little as seven to 10 days - and don't even need to take up space in the garden. Many of these crops, which are snipped at seedling stage, can be grown on your windowsill.

A packet of rocket seed or salad seed will contain up to 200 seeds and, once sown, will crop up to three times, making them a real money saver! Plus, fresh homegrown seedlings will make a welcome change from the vacuum packed, hydroponically produced salads of the supermarket - much of which are flown in from other countries. By growing some of these small but delicious crops we do a bit for the environment as well.

I find all of the crops below make brilliant micros:

For tiny greens: rocket, chard, spinach.
For little stems of spice: spring onion, chives, mustard.
For gourmet leaves: beetroot, radish.
And don't forget the mighty pea shoot: this isn’t officially a microgreen, but it fits in nicely here. A dried box of marrowfat peas will last you the whole summer.

How to grow microgreens

To get your microgreens going all you need is eight recycled trays with drainage holes, some decent peat-free compost and a recycled barbeque tray to act as a drip tray.

Put your compost in four of the trays and sow the seeds thickly. After a week, sow into the other four and rotate to give a constant supply. You could sow rows of cress in between the greens.

Place your micro garden in a sunny windowsill and keep the compost damp. After seven to 10 days harvest straight into your salad bowl or sandwich!

Happy growing, Chris Collins