What will crop in 7 week window??

[Cathpot]

We are living overseas ( sadly no where nice or gardening friendly) and are back in UK for 7 weeks from the end of June. I hugely miss having a garden, and can't wait to get back to it. I have a deep raised bed which I left empty and covered with weed mat. Normally I grow veggies from seed- nothing complicated as I am a beginner - tomatoes, chillies, cucumbers in the greenhouse, lettuce and peas outside. I really want to get something in and cropping in the window I have- can't grow from seed but apart from lettuce what else do you think would be a quick fix? Would buying peas as plants be a quick option? Very expensive? My timings are all about growing from seed and I don't want to be having to pull it all out in the 3rd week of August! Am in the southwest. Any advice would be great

7 weeks! Blimey!

I would go for salad crops, and buy plants where possible - radishes, lettuces, spinach, spring onions. Peas are unlikely to crop in that time, but you could give it a go and eat the pea shoots. Turnip 'market express' are supposed to come in around 40-50 days.

Baby spinach might do it from seed. Most salad fruit crops are already quite big plants by late June, but you might have some luck with relatively mature tomato plants in a warm part of the UK.

Radishes are a good bet, though, like lettuce, will need saving from the cabbage whites
www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/salad-seeds/radish-rainbow-mixed/70TM
Spring onions might just work, too
www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/onion-and-leek-seeds/bunching-spring-onion-white-lisbon/528TM

For established plants, rather than a garden centre, look for a plant nursery, btw - often much cheaper with healthier plants and varieties that grow well in the area.

Thank you! Sad about peas but suspected as much. Wondering whether to plant up one end with herbs I can leave in when we go as there is only so much lettuce I can get through. I have lots of mint, Rosemary and thyme elsewhere- chives? Do they do more than one season? Maybe should go and look up herb garden ideas. Nasturtiums?woyld they flower in 7 weeks?

I bought a nasturtium last week and it is flowering already.

Go for some perennials, yes chives, garlic chives, and leeks can all be grown perennially. A sage, lemon balm. Get a courgette from a local nursery - the buggest one they have left. Or call a local nursery and ask them to do you a veg box with a difference, a courgette, some peas, some dwarf beans etc that are in big pots close to cropping so that you can plant out and crop relatively quicky. Also, a bush tomato if you can find one.

If you are or close to Nottingham i could do one for you.

You've made me feel better. I really love leeks and haven't tried to grow them and I don't have sage or lemon balm, so will look into all of that. I have another bed I got ready for strawberries so that might have to be my happy place.

Raspberries and currants underplanted with chives under planted with strawberries gives you a nice perennial fruit bed that needs very little work and if you get early rasps they usually fruit in July. If you are always back this time of year.

I put summer raspberries in last year in the surrounding beds- it's a sort of kitchen garden area thing, hoping they have all made it through to this year. Also put in rhubarb and looking forward to being able to harvest this year. I do like the idea of currants- haven't tried them before -the bed is a horseshoe shape and we've put up wires along the long side - do currants need support or are they more like gooseberries?

I dont support any of my fruit. Rasps tend to be sturdier if you dont support them.

No, they dont need any support at all...

Right- thank you I have a plan and I'm making a list!