AND SO IT begins. Another season starts with the determined act of seed sowing in the potting shed. A bag of compost opened and tipped out on the sowing bench. Cold black plastic pots filled with even colder, blacker compost. Seed labels lined up awaiting a scrawl of information.
Seed packets fished out from my big box of tricks and ripped open to reveal their bounty. It’s just tomatoes, aubergines and peppers today so five tiny little seeds are placed gently on the surface of each pot (one for each variety; I will sow and 17 pots in all).
Ah but it feels good to start again in to another season. While I work I try to remember whether it’s my tenth or eleventh season. Then I find myself wondering how many seasons I have ahead of me. Maybe 30 if I am lucky? I pull myself back from such existential thoughts and try to stay in the moment. I plug in the heated cable to start the process of warming the sand beneath the seed pots. I realise I am whistling.
It feels too cold to be sowing seeds. The calendar says spring (in that strange Irish way that labels February spring) but it’s definitely still winter outside. All day the weather has alternated erratically from sun to cold showers of rain.
I have shelter from the elements in here in the potting shed but I can feel my feet are numb in my wellies and the tips of my fingers are cold. I’ve a hat on my head and several layers of fleece beneath my jacket, and I can see my breath while I work. I would like to luxuriate over this process, particularly today since it’s the first sowing of the year, but it’s too damn cold – so I move quickly. Sow a pot, label it, move on to the next one.
Before I finish I make a cloche over the pots with some rubber pipe and spread a layer of clear plastic over them, tucking the plastic in beneath them. I am creating a little hothouse for these seeds, which need heat to germinate. It feels a little artificial, but my growing year always starts like this – coaxing Mediterranean conditions from a cold February and trying to warm up the world.
Things to Do This Week – Sow Tomatoes
Though it might seem strange to be sowing what seem like the quintessential summer crops in the middle of February, the three (aubergines, peppers and toms) have a very long growing season and are therefore generally sown in February (they are some of the first seeds to be sown each year).
Unfortunately all three require quite high temperatures to germinate (in excess of 20 degrees) which clearly we don’t have outside yet. For this reason you will need to sow them indoors in pots/trays in a very sunny, warm room. They will then be planted out in late April or May.
Alternatively, you can place the trays in which you sow the seed on a heating mat – these mats have a small electric element in them which heats the compost from underneath – they provide a steady, low heat.
Recipe of the Week – Sprouting Brocoli with Sesame Oil and Garlic
Here’s a delicious purple sprouting broccoli recipe to deal with the glut of it coming from the garden! I love recipes, like this one from Ruth Watson, that just serve it up with a little twist and the absolute minimum amount of cooking. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
• 450g purple sprouting broccoli
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and very finely sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
Trim off any hard ends from the broccoli stalks as well as any very coarse leaves. Bring a large quantity of salted water to the boil in a very large saucepan and plunge in the broccoli.
With the lid on, quickly bring the water back to the boil, then remove the lid and briskly simmer the broccoli for about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
Meanwhile, heat both oils in the pan over a medium heat. Fry the garlic for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the slices are light golden. Throw in the broccoli and fry it for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently, until the stalks are piping hot and imbued with the garlicky oil.
Serve immediately with the sesame seeds sprinkled over the top.
Tip of the Week – Watch out for Frosts
We’re still very vulnerable to overnight frosts which will cause havoc for some seedlings and plants, particularly potato plants (if you have sown them early in the tunnel or greenhouse). Keep an eye on the weather forecast and cover new seeds with fleece if you think a frost is due. You can buy horticultural fleece in most garden centres.
Michael Kelly is author of ‘GROW COOK EAT’ and founder of GIY. More info: Grow It Yourself.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say