Thanks for your replies. It's a little daunting when you first start and do not know whether you're doing it properly. I guess you can get used to the taste as the joys of eating something you have produced outweigh the unexpected - anyway, now that we know, we don't seem to notice!

Thanks again.

Please help! I'm new to all this and finding some aspects a bit daunting - especially dealing with slugs! I've planted Perpetual Spinach in a large tub as a pick-and-come-again crop. I used new compost straight out of the bag and nothing else. The seeds germinated fine and the leaves are now 6"...