Ready, Steady, Grow!

Preparing to Plant

Here we are at the start of February, it feels as though it’s been raining for months and that the sun will never shine again. Thankfully, the joy of spring isn’t that far away, already the snowdrops and crocus are starting to flower, inspiring us and reminding us that the gardening year has started. Believe it or not February can be an exciting month, it’s a time when you can start your gardening journey, plan what you want to grow, get organised and even sow a few seeds.

If you are a beginner gardener and have never planted anything before, it can feel a bit daunting or difficult to do, but trust me, it really isn’t. Growing your own plants, especially fruit and veg can be brilliant fun. With fruit and vegetables, the  key is to start small, choose things that are easy to grow such as potatoes, radishes, potatoes or strawberries and choose things that you actually enjoy eating.  You are never going to be self-sufficient or grow enough veg to feed the entire street, but if you can have ‘small wins’, growing a few of your own delicious tomatoes or sumptuous strawberries, that taste a million times better than shop bought versions, you’ll be hooked.

Top Tips For Beginners:

• Get organised early, get your pots, compost and seeds and order your seed potatoes. Doesn’t have to be expensive, recycled yoghurt pots, toilet rolls or fruit punnets can make ideal starting pots for your seedlings.

• Embrace growing in containers you don't need a massive plot or allotment.

• It is too early to sow most things (see below for things to sow now), so its OK to hold back until March.

• Don’t over-sow, if there’s 50 seeds in a packet don't be tempted to sow them all at once, leave a few weeks in between each planting so that they ripen at different times. This is known as ‘Succession’ planting.

• Don’t sow too deeply, read the label.

What to Sow Now

It is still too early to sow most seeds but there are a few things that you can try if you want to get growing and get a head start. Since it’s early February, you have two options: sowing indoors (where it’s warmer) or outdoors. 

• Indoors: (Sunny windowsill or if you are lucky enough to have access to a greenhouse)

  
  

Chillies & Peppers: These are slow to mature. Start them off now so they have enough time to produce fruit by August.

Sweet Peas: Soak the seeds overnight first to get them hydrated.

Tomatoes: If you have a very bright spot, you can start cherry tomatoes late this month. I prefer cherry tomatoes because they ripen quicker than larger ones.

Potatoes: It’s too early to grow potatoes outside at the moment but you can get organised.You can "Chit" your potatoes, that is start them off early by encouraging them to sprout. Buy a bag of "seed potatoes" from a garden centre, put them in an old egg carton with the "eyes" (the little buds) facing up, and leave them in a light, cool room. By March, they’ll have strong green sprouts ready to go into the ground.

• Outdoors 

  
  

Broad Beans: These are tough and can take a bit of cold

Onion Sets and Garlic:

Radishes: The ultimate beginner crop. You can go from seed to salad in about 4 weeks.

Bare root Raspberries:

Rhubarb:

Plan for the Year Ahead 

Here’s a simple summary of what to do for the next few months

Month	Action	Best Crops
March	Continue to Sow	Potatoes (in bags/pots), Onions, Spinach, and Carrots.
April	Direct Sowing	Beetroot, Lettuce, and Sunflowers, Cosmos directly into the soil.
May	Watch Out for Frosts	Harden off and move your indoor plants (Tomatoes, Courgettes) outside after mid-May.
June/July	Maintenance	Water daily! Sow "Succession Crops"  Harvest new potatoes
August	Harvest	Sow Kale and Winter Cabbage for the colder months.

Hope that’s been helpful. Gardening can be brilliant fun and really addictive, especially growing your own fruit and veg. Don’t be overwhelmed, start small and start simple. Once you have a few successes, you’ll be hooked.

Happy gardening!