This project lets you grow your own salad and can be started any time from April onwards.

What you will need:

1 packet of lettuce seed ( any variety, but iceberg types are best to use)

1 packet of radish seed ( the round globe type are best to use)

A small piece of ground about 60cm (2 ft) X 90cm (3ft )

or if this is not available

A large plantpot about 30cm (1ft) in diameter and a small bag of multi purpose compost.

What to do:

First you will need to break up the piece of ground using a garden fork, removing any weeds or big stones and then rake it flat.

If you are using the plantpot method all you have to do is fill the pot to the top with compost and firm it down slightly and make sure that it is level and flat. From here on, the instructions are the same for both methods.

Using a small stick or trowel, make 2 furrows about 1cm (1/2 inch) deep and about 30 cm (1ft) apart.

Place a few seeds in each furrow, the radish in one furrow, spacing them about 2cm (1 inch) apart and the lettuce in the other furrow. The lettuce seeds are a lot smaller so you are better pinching them between finger a thumb and sprinkling them as thinly as possible along the row.

When you have done this cover the seeds over with a bit of soil or compost and water very gently with a watering can.

The radish will be the first to come up. These will be about 4 or five days. The lettuce will take a little longer.

Keep the seedlings watered well.

As the lettuce get bigger you will need to thin them out to give them room to grow. Pull some of the seedlings out to leave 1 plant every 8cm (3 inches).

As they grow some more, take every other plant out to leave 1 plant 15 cm (6 inches). If you are growing the plants in open ground you will end up with about 6 plants but if you are growing in a plantpot you will only be able to grow 1 or 2 plants.

As the plants get bigger, you can feed them by giving them some liquid feed each time you water them.