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Growing salads |
Expert advice: It’s OK to cheat!
In his new gardening column, Tom Moggach will help you grow your favourite food, even if you’ve only got a cupboard
GROW food, not flowers – that’s my motto. Why bother with roses when you could grow herbs or chillies?
I reckon we should all grow our own – even if it’s only one plant on a windowsill.
For me, it helps balance the buzz of city life. Fresh food tastes best, and growing it is a simple pleasure.
That’s why I started City Leaf, an urban gardening enterprise that launches next week. We’re a small team of expert growers and professional teachers who believe in dishing out no-nonsense advice.
We run courses, design edible gardens and have created a website to share skills and link up food growing projects in the capital. My background is as a teacher – I was at Gospel Oak primary school – food journalist and keen cook and grower.
In this new column I’ll share our top tips for a tasty crop – from a balcony or rooftop to back garden or allotment.
But first, a quick word of warning: this is a dangerous time for the urban gardener.
After our dismal winter, it’s all too easy to get carried away in the first blast of sunshine.
You can plant too much too early, or splash a small fortune in the garden centre. Far better to sit down and plan for the months ahead.
Here’s how to get off to the best possible start:
How much space do you have?
You don’t need a garden. Look around and identify possible places to grow your plants. A windowsill could be a snug home for tomatoes. Transform a rooftop into a secret garden. Stuff your balcony with pots and grow-bags. Grow vertically with hanging baskets or by training climbing plants such as peas, runner beans and courgettes.
Check the sun
Work out which spots get the most light. Plot how the sun moves around your growing space, then use this information to decide what to grow.
Tomatoes and chillies, for example, demand full sun – don’t bother in the shade. Mint, on the other hand, is happy in a darker damp spot. The trick is to imagine where the plant comes from. Thyme, rosemary and sage, for example, thrive in the direct hot sun of the Mediterranean.
Beware of seed catalogues
As you flick through glossy pics of fruit and veg, it’s tempting to splurge on packets of seed. You’ll end up with enough to feed a country the size of Belgium. Share your seed with friends, and buy realistic amounts.
Identify your favourite foods
It sounds obvious, but kick off by thinking what you most like to eat. If you don’t see the point of cucumbers, why grow them?
Work out if you can give each plant the conditions it needs. Only then reach for your purse or wallet.
Cheat with baby plants
There’s no shame in cutting out the tricky bit – germinating seed then raising a healthy plant. Garden centres and mail order companies sell baby or ‘plug’ plants. Our favourite online companies are Delfland (organicplants.co.uk) and Thompson and Morgan (thompson-morgan.com).
Grow salad leaves
Those puffy salad bags in the supermarket are a rip-off. Leaves such as rocket, mustard, pak choi and mizuna are a doddle to grow. Pick a few leaves when you need them and they should last all summer. Go for a selection of spicy and neutral leaves.
What to grow now
Outdoors, you can sow many crops including lettuce, spinach, radish, broad beans, peas, and early peas and carrots. Rainbow chard is always a good bet – it’s a stunner with its multicoloured stems. Indoors, there’s still just about time to sow long season crops such as tomatoes and chillies.
www.cityleaf.co.uk |
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