The cold, dark 59 weeks of January are nearly at an end and the gardening spirit that lives within is itching to get going. The sensible head, however, knows it is way too early to get most seeds started. Germination at this point of the year will just lead to stretched out long floppy seedlings that will lean over in their trays of compost, letting those first little leaves touch the soil and increasing the risk of mould taking over. There are some that could be started now, tomatoes, and chillis being two. Tomatoes have a sturdier stem, and if need be can be potted on (taken out of their small pot, compost and all, and placed into a larger growing container) deeper into the soil, burying some of their stem below ground. If you’ve ever seen a tomato seedling you’ll know it has a slightly hairy stem – each of those has the capability to become a root, anchoring the plant further and leading to a greater root system for uptake of water and nutrients.
Instead this time is best used to plan out the things you want to grow, satiating my desire for green by perusing seed catalogues and imagining the wondrous riot of produce I’ll have by midsummer. Another good way to find inspiration is to scan through recipes I love and gathering lists of ingredients to grow – not just the fruit and veg but herbs, or spices too. Last year my husband’s herb garden produced well and he frequently cropped them and dried them out in the air fryer to sustain us in the colder months with flavours from the garden.
If you have thought that this could be the year you supplement your diet with fresh homegrown produce then please find me on Instagram or Facebook, just search Holistically Sustainable.
