Create a new conversation with a veg garden
We may not all speak the same language but we usually understand the sentiment when someone speaks to us and plants react in the similar way to a chat and some TLC as any other living being (just don’t tell them you’re going to eat them afterwards!!).
This month I’ve sown courgette, squash and carrot seed in the shed – they are the easy ones! French beans and tomatoes to sow mid-April – easy but need a little attention. Also planning on aubergine, potatoes, lettuce, rocket and chard plus. I get returning raspberries, strawberries and figs every year for minimum effort and lots of tiny black grapes end of summer. Last autumn I planted 2 apple trees in large pots and really hope they will fruit this year – one is in bud but the other isn’t yet (finger’s crossed!).
James Wong is another plant whisperer who also advocates stroking your seedlings. He suggests a variety of more unusual and flavoursome veg to grow in a really helpful ‘The Great Sow-a-Long’ section on his website to get you started planting for a small garden where and he promises to guide you through choosing seed, how & when to plant, etc throughout the year.
Nothing tastes as good and fresh as the own grown veg – if you only have sunny windowsills plant chard, lettuce and tomatoes and maybe a couple of aubergine plants (we had beautiful purple flowers & baby aubergine last year) – they’ll love it.
Find him on twitter or http://www.jameswong.co.uk/sow-a-long/4588474669
Images from James Wong
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Post by Maggi Martin for soothe-me