A belated Happy New Year everyone. For this year’s monthly tips we’re going to go back to our first gardening love – growing edibles. We’re planning to cover all sorts of growing from windowsills, through pots and containers to larger gardens and allotments, so hopefully there’ll be something for everyone.

With the new year having been both wet and cold so far, there has not been much venturing outside. However, there are things that can be done indoors at this time of year to get ready for the growing season ahead. We start sowing some seeds in the winter. These are the plants that will need a long growing season such as chilli and sweet peppers, aubergines, leeks and onions and it is not too late to get these underway in early February. It is also not too late to get seed orders in with the mail order companies, or to head to a garden centre to see what takes your fancy.

Leeks Feb 2024

Chilli seedlings Feb 2024

You can also sow now for a quick indoor crop by growing either sprouts or microgreens. Beansprouts (usually mung beans) are well known from oriental cooking. They can be bought from seed suppliers and sown on a tray where the bottom is covered with a layer of well-dampened material (e.g. a tea towel) or cotton wool. Wash the beans and soak them overnight in cold water. Wash again in cold water before spreading evenly on the damp substrate. Cover with polythene or clingfilm to keep humidity high and then with brown paper or newspaper to eliminate light. The sprouts should be ready to eat after about a week when just over 2cm tall. Remove the sprouts from the beans, rinse thoroughly and cook for a couple of minutes.