It’s been a while since the last blog, I have been thoroughly enjoying life with my family over the Christmas period and its been nice to take a bit of time out, always does the world of good to one’s mind I find.
Now that the winter solstice has passed my thoughts turn to Spring and the excitement of the longer daylight hours and of course the sowing of seeds for the following year.
I am admittedly a devout sower, sowing fills me with joy and invariably I sow far, far too many seedlings. I love the methodical, cathartic process of germinating, pricking out and growing, I love this more than anything else in the garden so this time of year for me is filled with much anticipation.
Despite the itchy fingers don’t be tempted to go too early on sowing. Light levels are still very low and unless you have grow lights then most seedlings will get very leggy after gemination searching for light and you’ll have weaker seedlings. Far better to wait until end Feb or March to sow for a stronger seedling. That said, there are a few things that you can sow from late january, into seed trays or pots and particularly if you have a greenhouse or poly tunnel. Seedlings need to be germinated on heat, so a warm airing cupboard, heat mat or heated propagator is the key. Once germinated move to a light area (off heat), to continue.
Onion seeds can be started from late Janaury onwards and actually do need a long grow period so good to get these ones sown early. Germinate with a little heat ands then move to a unheated greenhouse or windowsill with plenty of light to grow on. In about 6 weeks they’ll be ready to plant out, I sow a few seeds per module and plant them from the module into the ground in a clump, a process known as multi sowing. This is a direct contrast to sowing one seed per module, it saves space and the seedlings are very happy to grow together, as they grow they will eventually push away from each other. Many seedlings can be grown this way it’s just a case of what works for you.
Salad leaves work well at this time of year too, winter varieties of lettuce and oriental greens like mizuna or mustards are happy to grow on as long as they are reasonably sheltered when planting out.
I really like fresh pea shoots, they’re so tasty and so easy to grow. Again germinate with a little heat and then move to a light area off heat to grow on. I find the easiest thing to do is sow into a small pot or a seed tray and leave them to grow in there, that way you can harvest shoots as and when. Its like giving them a hair cut! I am pretty sure there are varieties specifically marketed for shoots but I use any peas and they work fine. I’ve actually had pea shoots on the go all through winter so they really are happy to stand in the cold, although to be fair it has been very mild here in the south anyway.
Aside from a little sowing, January really is a time for planning for the year ahead, seed sorting and such like. I would discard seeds that are over 3 years old as the germination rate will be much lower and for me that’s such waste of time and compost so be ruthless and keep fresh seed only.
If you haven’t addressed the vegetable and flower beds yet then now is a good time to sort them out. Mulching on top of the surface of your beds is one of, if not the most important job to do in your garden. A mulch is a layer of organic material applied to the surface of soil. It may be applied to bare soil or around existing plants. Mulches of manure or compost will be incorporated naturally into the soil by the activity of worms and other organisms. Apply your mulch now and your garden will be ready in Spring for whatever you want to do with it. I use a no-dig method of gardening where the soil is left untouched below so I rely on organisms to do all the work for me. I’ve cleared most of the vegetable beds now, just some kale, sprouts, broccoli and winter lettuces still remain and I’ve applied approx a 4-5cm layer of homemade compost mixed with well-rotted cow manure to work its magic.
With regards to the flower garden, I actually don’t do much until Spring. I leave it all in place, dried and straggly warts and all. For me I like the straggly look and so do the wildlife, we often see goldfinch, dunnock and tits to name a few, perched atop the dried stems, picking off insects and I like the brown earthy hues you get from the flowers, there’s beauty in decay. You can make fabulous everlasting dried wreaths or bouquets and they are just as beautiful as those in summer and they last longer too!
In the early spring I will cut all the stems down to less than half the height they are now, clear the leaves and decaying material and then mulch in-between. Our pollinator garden was a huge success, using no-dig methods, we transformed a 6m x 7m garden laid to lawn into a pollinator paradise which was rich with nectar and teeming with wildlife. I am looking forward to seeing how it fares in its second year, it’s always interesting to see a garden like this take shape with some plants establishing well, some not so much. It’s a constantly evolving space a little bit like a movable jigsaw that needs adjusting from time to time so everything works in harmony. If you are interested in reading more on this there’s a video on Instagram and now also You Tube where you can see how different it has become in less than a year.
I have started a You Tube channel so please take a look and subscribe, I will be posting videos from the garden together with some instructional videos to help everyones gardening skills;
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKeV-bBhHgd4e6wgW_k0Qig
If any of my monthly seed subscribers are reading this then you’ll receive your growing instructions for your first set of seeds in the first week of January direct to your inbox and the seeds should hit your door at the same time, as always if you have any questions then please email me info@queenofseed.co.uk
Finally I hope that you all did spend some time with loved ones over Christmas, it’s been so difficult for so many people the last couple of years and this was no exception, I feel very grateful to have been able to spend time with my family when so many people haven’t had that chance. A happy new year to everyone and heres to a much better and brighter 2022.
