What needs doing

This time of year aphids are a particular problem on beans and peas. One safe way to reduce their numbers is to pop a bit of soapy water in a spray bottle and give them a good old squirt, another slightly more toxic way is to collect cigarette ends, soak these in water and apply with a spray bottle. Ladybirds are a great help in the battle against aphids they will munch their way through loads of the little blighters. You can encourage ladybirds by planting calendula (marigold), limnanthes douglasii (poached egg plant) and by letting poppies and nettles survive weeding. Ladybird eggs are tiny orange eggs normally found on the back of leaves. They lay them in clusters of 15 to 20 – if you see them on your beans leave them there to add to your army against the aphids.

Ladybird eggs means loads more garden warriors to munch through the aphids

It’s important to ridge up your potatoes now so they don’t explode through the sides of the ridges and it also keeps the weeds down. It’s easiest to do this in the morning because during the day the leaves wilt down a bit. Stop ridging when the leaves between the rows meet.

If birds are a pest in your area you can cover your strawberries with netting. It’s helpful to lay straw under the strawberry plants to keep the fruit clean.

What to plant

French beans 45cm (18″) between rows, 20 cm (9″) between plants and 5cm (2″) deep.

Runner beans need support in the form of tall sticks or canes, these should be spaced 20cm (9″) apart in double rows 1.5m (3″) apart and 5cm (2″) deep. If you’re planting in the three sisters bed you can plant your beans next to the sweet corn when the sweetcorn is 30cm (12″) tall. All beans and peas like a good sprinkle of potash (ash from a wood fire).

Celery can be transplanted into its final position 20cm (9″) between plants.

Cucumbers can be transplanted now. They do best in a cloche or a greenhouse. They like lots of muck.

Leeks grow and keep well so they’re a wonderful crop. They can be transplanted now. If you’ve lifted early potatoes they can go in that ground otherwise you will need another patch of well mucked soil. I use a dibber (a pointy stick) to make holes 15cm (6″) apart, pop in the small leek but don’t press the soil back into place. A good watering is enough to get some soil around the roots.

Sweetcorn. If you’ve grown them in pots they can be transplanted now but be careful not to disturb the roots too much. Give them a good water. I put mine in rows 30cm (12″) apart and about the same spacings between plants.

Broccoli should be planted out when they’re a few inches tall and have at least 4 leaves. Transplant them 60cm (2′) apart with 75cm (30″) between rows. All brassica like acid soil.

Broccoli plants are ready for transplanting now

Brussels sprouts should be planted out 90cm (3′) apart. In windy spots you’ll need to give each plant a cane to hold it up. You can inter-crop with lettuce or radish as the spacings are so big by the time the Brussels have grow you’ll have harvested the inter-crop.

What to harvest

There should be lots of salad leaves which can be turned into tasty salads.

Radishes are another addition to salads. They can be blended up with cream cheese and garlic to make a tasty dip. Bulgarians traditionally make a springtime soup from radishes as it’s pretty much the earliest vegetable you can grow.

Broad beans are full of protein and great for you, mix them into risottos, have them with a roast or they can be blended into something like hummus. You can dry them for winter use in stews and casseroles.

Peas should be coming along nicely. Peas can’t come quickly enough for me, every time I pass the plants I grab a hand full to munch on in the garden

Rhubarb can be picked now. I never pick all the stems I leave a couple so that the plant can put some energy back into the root for next year.

Strawberries. You can never have too many strawberries as they are just so good straight off the plant. If you have more than you can eat fresh you can make some lovely preserves, strawberry jam is the most obvious.They lack the necessary pectin to set well on their own, you can use jam sugar but I prefer to mix half and half with apple. Another nice mix is to use equal weights of rhubarb, apple and strawberry. Making jam is simple, use the same weight of sugar as of fruit, chop your fruit up, stick it in a big pan (if the fruit is dry put just enough water to stop them sticking) then pop your sugar in, stir and boil until a teaspoon of hot jam dropped into cold water forms a blob at the bottom. You can use pretty much any fruit you like. Strawberries make a tasty liquor, pop some strawberries in a bottle, fill it up with rum or any other strong spirit add sugar to taste and a bit of lemon juice then leave to infuse for a month shaking every day for the first week. This recipe work very well with cherries too. 

Put straw around your strawberry plants to keep the fruit clean

Early potatoes can be lifted now. They’re great boiled up with lashings of butter and a good helping of salt and pepper.

During May I’ll be out making hay for the goats’ winter feed. It is best if you can cut before the seeds form as at this stage there is much more protein in the grass. Hay making is very weather dependent – you want a fairly long stint of warm dry weather, if it rains you’ll need to keep turning it until it dries.

Now more about the three sisters companion planting technique. It’s a native American method of companion planting which involves stacked planting. The lower level is full of pumpkin and squash which act as a weed suppressant and mulch. Sweet corn or maze is grown to work as a cane for the beans and the beans add nitrogen to the soil for the benefit of all three. As I mentioned last month, I’m using my three sisters patch for both summer fresh consumption and for dried winter consumption.

• Your beds want to be 3m by 3m (10′ by 10′) , you can multiply this but if you make it smaller you might have trouble with the sweet corn pollination (sweet corn is wind pollinated)
• You want three rows, one down the middle the other two at both sides.
• On these rows make 5 mounds, about 45cm (18″) wide and 75cm (30”) between centres.
• Starting with one of the outer rows plant in the second and fourth mounds, sow 4 sweetcorn seeds in each. I planted mine early under glass jars as we get frosts into mid M ay. Set the plants out 15cm (6″) apart in a square pattern.
• In the middle row plant in the first, third and fifth mounds, sow 4 sweetcorn seeds in each. Set the plants out 15cm (6″) apart in a square pattern.
• In the other outer row plant in the second and fourth mounds 4 sweetcorn seeds in each. Set the plants out 15cm (6″) apart in a square pattern.When the sweetcorn has grown to around 30cm (12″) tall you can plant out your squash and sow your bean seeds.
• Weed the whole patch before sowing 4 bean seeds in each sweetcorn mound. Sow the seeds equally spaced 7.5cm (3″) away from the sweetcorn plants.Now sow two squash plants in each of the vacant mounds (1, 3 & 5 in row one; 2 & 4 in row two; 1, 3 & 5 in row three).

It sounds complicated when written down but it’s simply like a checkers board, you alternate between sweet corn with beans and squash plants. I’m planting maize in the centre row for dry animal feed and our sweetest, tastiest corn on the outer rows so I can harvest them without disturbing the squash which will be smothering the floor. I will leave the maze and beans in the centre row to ripen until fully dry and then harvest for winter storage.

What to do in the garden

Complete summer pruning of peach trees.
Harden off tomatoes and celeriac then plant out towards the end of the month.
Mulch globe artichoke and sea kale.
Start your three sisters bed.
Put some sticks up for your runner beans.
Keep on top of the weeding.

What to plant

French beans 45cm (18″) between rows, 20 cm (9″) between plants and 5cm (2″) deep. I love French beans they produce loads and you don’t have to faff about with all the canes like you do with runner beans. 

Runner beans are great croppers but it is a big job finding all those sticks and making frames for them to climb up. I’m really hoping the three sisters bed works well. If you’re planting them on their own you want to space them 20cm (9″) apart in double rows 1.5m (3″) apart and 5cm (2″) deep. All beans and peas like a good sprinkle of potash (ash from a wood fire).

Beetroot is one of my favourites and is great in salads, roasted in the oven, or pickled for winter use. The sweet earthy flavour is simply great. If you plant a couple of batches a few weeks apart you’ll get a constant supply. Sow them 30cm (1 foot) between rows, 2cm (1″) deep, they should be sown very thinly as each seed contains multiple seeds, one seed every 15cm (6″) or so will be good. You’ll probably need to thin out later.

Sweet corn. There’s not many things as tasty as sweetcorn fresh from the plant. Getting it in the pan quick makes all the difference because as soon as you pick it the sugars start to convert into starch. Plant it after the last possible frosts or 2 weeks before under jars , if you planted indoors be very careful when transplanting because it doesn’t like its roots disturbed.

Winter Cabbage can be planted now in a seed bed to go out in mid-summer.

Kale is one of the last things still growing in winter so it makes a great stand by. It’s not fussy about soil type. Plant 30cm (12″) apart in rows 45cm (18″) apart.

Marrows if picked young are courgettes, you can also eat the flowers. They make an interesting jam and can even be made into a country wine. I only grow a few plants as you will get loads of courgettes from just a couple of plants. Grow them as you do pumpkins and squash.

Peas, I could eat them every day. Plant one batch early in the month and one at the end. I plant them in strips wide enough so I can reach into the centre easily. Plant them 5cm (2″) deep about 8cm (3″) apart. Like all legumes (and brassica) they hate acid soil so add lime if your soil is acidic. 

Carrots are lovely, crunchy and sweet. They’re great in salads, roasted, soups, stews, and just plain old raw. They keep well if stored in boxes of sand and left in a cool shed. They like a fine seed bed and if the soil is too rich (recently manured) they are likely to fork. Sow them when the soil is dry and warm as thinly as you can, very shallowly in rows 30cm (12″) apart.

Turnips and swedes can be harvested all summer and autumn, they can also be clamped for winter storage. They make a great fodder crop, in fact before the turnip was imported people would kill off most of their animals before winter as it was very difficult to keep them fed through the winter.  If you get 90cm (35″) of rain a year or more then you’ll want to put them on top of ridges to aid drainage. You can sow them now or any time until August. Sow the seeds shallowly in rows 25cm (9″) apart.

Melons can be planted but need to be kept in a green house for the UK climate.

Pumpkins and squash these take up a lot of room but are worth growing if you have a bit of space. They love rich soil, if you have an old compost heap they do very well just plonked in the top. Last year I planted a lot of different varieties but my favourite had to be butternut squash which tastes beautiful and kept well into February. This year I’m going to also plant some hard skinned varieties to see me through the hunger gap (February to April). This year I’m planting mine in my three sisters bed. If you plant them on their own give them at least 1m (3″) space in each direction. I plant mine two weeks before the last frost under upturned jam jars or plastic bottles cut in half.

What to harvest

Like last month there isn’t much to harvest – you’ll probably have some radishes, lettuce, spring cabbage and if you’re lucky enough to have an asparagus bed you can cut some of that too. Hopefully you’ll have a stock of food in the freezer or otherwise hard skinned pumpkins from last year and lots of jars of preserves. If you have potatoes left you can use these but I planted all my potatoes from last year.

What to do

It’s a good idea to get a bed ready and stakes fixed for your runner beans.

If you’re trying The Three Sisters prepare the bed. You’ll need a bed 3m by 3m or in a long strip 3m wide.

Prune peach trees.

Mulch your blackberries, loganberries, raspberries, figs and plums with a good amount of muck or compost if you have it.

What to plant

Squash and pumpkin I plant mine now under upturned jam jars or old plastic bottles with the tops cut off. I sow clusters of 3 seeds with 6 feet (1.8m) between each cluster.

French beans can be sown now if your ground is warm. Sow in double rows 2 inches (5cm) deep, 6 inches (15cm) apart in a staggered pattern.

Courgette grow in the same sort of fashion as squashes.

Beetroot likes a fine seed bed and doesn’t like a freshly manured patch. Sow them in rows 1 foot (30cm) apart and 1 inch (2cm) deep. They should be sown very thinly at just one seed every 6 inches (15cm) as each seed actually contains multiple seeds and you’ll probably still need to thin out later.

Broccoli can be planted in the seed bed or in trays now. You can plant a few batches a couple of weeks apart. Like all brassicas they like lime in the soil. You should transplant them when they are a few inches tall.

Asparagus is a perennial so will be in its position for many years. You need to plant on a good patch of soil that’s completely weed free because it’s difficult to weed once the asparagus has established. You want to beg, steal or buy some three year old plants – they look like big old spiders. Stick them in the ground 18 inches (45cm) apart and cover with a few inches of soil. Make sure they don’t dry out and don’t harvest them in the first year. They need to put their energy into producing a good root system that will provide you fresh asparagus for years to come. 

Radishes grow just about anywhere. If you like them sow a little patch every week or so for the whole summer. They take about 6 weeks to mature. Although they are brassicas you don’t have to worry about them perpetuating club root as, being in the ground for such a short time, they don’t suffer from it.

Carrots like a fine seed bed and if the soil is too rich they are likely to fork. Sow them shallow when the soil is dry and warm as thinly as you can in rows 12 inches (30cm) apart.

Turnips and swedes are a great fodder crop for your animals if you’re not in a drought area. If you get 35 inches (90cm) of rain a year or more then you’ll want to put them on top of ridges to aid drainage. You can sow them now or any time until August. Sow the seeds shallowly in rows 9 inches (25cm) apart.
 
Potatoes are a marvelous crop and one of the best sources of carbohydrate a self-sufficient grower can have for the winter. They are also rich in vitamin C which can be hard to find in the winter time. If you grow too many you can boil them up for the pigs. Potatoes like well mucked land and don’t let the leaves get frosted off they’ll have to start all over again. Plant them 18 inches (45cm) apart in both directions about 5 inches (13cm) deep. As soon as leaves appear start to earth them up.

What to harvest

Well there’s pretty much nothing in the garden to harvest right now, you might have some cabbages left. If all else fails you could go and forage some wild greens but hopefully you’ve not eaten all your winter stores yet.

This time of year the garden is pretty much barren of anything to harvest so we’re relying on our stores of bottled, frozen and preserved food. It’s great to get outside and do some work though after having to be inside so much over winter.

Things to do

Harden off onions that were planted in January ready for planting out next month. August sown onion seedlings can be transplanted 6 inches apart (15cm) in rows with 12 inches (30cm) between them. You can also plant onion sets out now with the same spacings, I personally prefer to use sets.

Harden off green house cauliflowers and plant out 18 inches(45cm) apart in both directions. It’s important not to let them dry out as this will cause under sized heads.

What to plant

Garlic. I plant cloves (pointy end up) just under the surface 6 inches (15cm) apart and 12 inches (30cm) between rows. I look around green grocers to find the biggest most flavorsome garlic I can and this is what I plant.

Horseradish sauce goes really well with a nice juicy steak so it’s worth having a couple of plants. Pop it in a corner because once established it’ll spread and is tricky to get rid of. To plant them buy or cadge a piece of root preferably about a foot long although smaller pieces will work. Drive holes into the ground with a crow bar or an old fork handle and drop your roots into them. You’ll want to leave about 2 feet (60cm) between them.

Jerusalem artichoke is an odd vegetable, some people love them others don’t. They have really tall stems and yellow flowers like a sunflower. To plant them chuck pieces of root in the ground about 5 inches (13cm) deep with 18 inch (45cm) spacings, leave 3 feet (1m) between the rows. When the plants are big enough you can ridge them up like you would potatoes.

Shallots like a rich, firm soil. Poke them into the ground (pointy end up) so that the tip just protrudes from the surface of the soil. Allow 6 inches (15cm) between the bulbs and 12 inches (30cm) between the rows. A week or two later poke back any that have become dislodged from their position. Now all you have to do is keep weeps at bay!

Early potatoes can be planted in the south of England at the end of March. Potatoes are hungry plants, I dig loads of my compost on the potato patch and they love it. To plant them make drills in the soil 4 inches (10cm) deep in rows 18inches (45cm) apart. Chose spuds that have a couple of shoots, big spuds can be cut in half as long as there are shoots on both sides. Place these in your drill about 12 inches (30cm) apart. Draw the soil back over the spuds and make a small ridge over them.

Globe artichoke is a luxury vegetable that resembles a giant thistle. I find they’re too fiddly and slow to prepare for the table but they do make a bold decorative plant. Suckers or bits of root can be planted now or next month. You’ll want to leave a fair space between plants – 3 feet (90cm) should be plenty.

Brussels sprouts are a great winter vegetable. They take up space for a long period of time (about 8 months) and therefore might not be the best use of space in a small garden. If you have the space they’re well worth a grow. Plant early varieties in mid March in a sheltered seed bed about half an inch (12mm) deep in drills 9 inches (25cm) apart. When they’re an inch (2.5cm) tall thin out to one plant every 2 inches (5cm).

Broad beans can be planted now, the longer into spring you leave planting the more chance you get of being ravaged by black fly. Sow 3 inches (8cm) deep, 8 inches (20cm) apart and in double rows 8 inches (20cm) apart. Leave 30 inches (75cm) between each pair of rows. Plant a few extra seeds at the end of the row so you can replace any plants that fail to germinate.

Leeks are a great crop to grow they taste great and keep well throughout the winter. Sow them thinly in a seed bed about 1 inch (2cm) deep. For transplanting when they’re 8 inches (20 cm) tall.

Peas are fantastic! So I sow them every 2 weeks from February right through to April to ensure a constant supply and plenty for the freezer. I sow 3 inches (8cm) deep and 2 – 3 inches (5-8cm) apart. It is a great help if you soak the peas before for a day or two, this assists the germination process.

Summer cabbage is sown thinly in a seed bed in rows 6 inches (15cm) apart. When true leaves appear thin to 2 inches (5cm) apart.

Radish are quick to germinate and to grow so they are useful to sow alongside other slower germinating plants so you can see where you’ve planted. They’re also a tasty crunchy addition to salads.

Turnips are slow to mature so you can get a catch crop of lettuce between rows. I also pop a few radish seeds in with my turnips because they declare themselves quickly and I can see where to hoe. Plant them in rows 12 inches (30cm) apart and thin to 4 inches (10cm) when big enough to handle.

Cauliflowers should be planted in the seed bed. Sow thinly 8 inches (20cm) between rows and thin to 2 inches (5cm) when 4 leaves are present.

Spinach sow 1 inch (2cm) deep in rows 12 inches (30cm) apart. Later thin them to 6 inches (15cm) apart.

Some things to plant under cover

Carrots can be planted under a cloche. Sow 9 inches (20cm) between rows and thin to 1 inch (2cm) when true leaves show.

Celery is planted in seed trays and thinned to 2 inches (5cm) apart when big enough.

Peppers and tomatoes can be sown in seed trays in the house on a sunny window ledge. Transplant when big enough to handle.

What to harvest

Kale is one of the last things standing in the garden and it’s a handy winter green when nothing else is ready.

Leeks as I mentioned earlier are a great winter crop.

Broccoli if you have any left get out there and pick it pronto.

At this time of year I’m busy doing things that I don’t have time to do in the growing season like laying paths, fixing tools, putting up fences and laying hedges.

If your soil isn’t too soggy or frozen you can get it ready for carrots to go in next month. Carrots like a deeply dug loam but don’t manure as this tends to make them fork. Pop your cloches in place so the soil is nice and warm for your first sowing next month.

Now you can plant apples, apricots, pears, medlars, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries, black red and white currants as well as the rhubarb that you prepared the soil for last month.

You can prune blueberries, red and white currants. For blueberries prune old dry stems from the third winter onwards, prune to the ground or to a vigorous new shoot that’s close to the ground. Hard pruning in winter will result in larger, earlier fruit. Red and white currants fruit on spurs (like apples) so cut back the first year’s shoots to about half. In later years try to keep as much old fruiting wood as possible and remove a lot of the new wood.

What to plant

Garlic is wonderful. Any kitchen without this great herb would be a sad place. It keeps a long time, is simple to grow, is a powerful antiseptic and can be used in companion planting to ward off nasty pests! I plant cloves (pointy end up) just under the surface 6″ (15cm) apart and 12″ (30cm) between rows. I look around greengrocers to find the biggest most flavorsome garlic I can and this is what I plant.

Jerusalem artichoke are very easy to grow. Being related to the sunflower they make an attractive windbreak. I give them a warm spot of their own, they tend to come back every year unless you very carefully remove every last piece of tuber. I grow loads of these for my pigs who’ll happily dig them up, rotovate and manure my land. At the same time they get a great deal of nutrition, what could be better than that?

To plant these; chuck them in the ground about 5 inches (13cm) deep with 18 inch (45cm) spacings, leave 3 feet (1m) between the rows. When the plants are big enough you can ridge them up like you would potatoes.

Shallots are good to get planting now. You’ll end up with loads of little shallots which are great for pickling and a few a bit bigger that can be used in cooking.

They like a rich, firm soil. Poke them into the ground (pointy end up) so that the tip just protrudes from the surface of the soil. Allow 6 inches (15cm) between the bulbs and 12 inches (30cm) between the rows. A week or two later poke back any that have become dislodged from their position. Now all you have to do is keep weeps at bay!

Broad beans can be eaten fresh or dried for winter use. You can also cook the tops of the plants a bit like spinach. They can be planted now, the longer into spring you leave planting the more chance you get of being ravaged by black fly. Sow 3 inches (8cm) deep, 8 inches (20cm) apart and in double rows 8 inches (20cm) apart. Leave 30 inches (75cm) between each pair of rows. Plant a few extra seeds at the end of the row so you can replace any plants that fail to germinate.

Peas are one of my favorite vegetables. They are so good fresh from the plant that half of mine never get the chance to see the cooking pot. Now you can get a few early (round seeded) peas in, you’ll plant the main crop from mid march onwards right into July. Plant these little wonders 3 inches (8cm) deep and 2 – 3 inches (5-8cm) apart. It is a great help if you soak the peas before for a day or two, this helps boost the germination process.

What to harvest

• Celery to be honest I’ve never liked it but it does add a certain something to stock
• Kale is the plant that you leave till you really need it. It’ll survive the hardest ice and snow
• Leeks are a brilliant vegetables lovely in a leek and potato soup
• Broccoli winter varieties should be good to pick now
• Brussels sprouts are the classic winter vegetable – what would a winter Sunday roast be without sprouts?
• Cabbage is an amazingly versatile vegetable, you can steam it or boil it, turn it into sauerkraut but one of my favourite ways of eating it is in a stir fry
• Chicory can be harvested if you’re forcing it. Dug up in November and kept in a warm – about 10 degrees C – dark place you can get chicory shoots about once a month during winter

Antony Barrett and his girlfriend Steff run Frog Shadow Farm, a self-sufficiency project in Bulgaria. Search Frog Shadow Ltd on Facebook to find out more.

This is the time of year to repair tools, lay paths, build walls and do all the things that there just isn’t time to do in the growing season. It’s the time to get out into the garden and burn off some of that Christmas pudding digging over the land in preparation for this year’s crops.

If the ground isn’t waterlogged or frozen now is a good time to plant apples, apricots, medlars, pears, plums, blackberries, gooseberries, raspberries, redcurrants, whitecurrants and blackcurrants. I dig a nice big hole, fork lots of compost into the bottom, pop in the tree, replace the earth around the roots and heel into place. I then put some scraps of cardboard on the ground to keep down weeds and stop the moisture from evaporating too fast.

Winter is a good time to plant dormant fruit trees

Another thing to be getting on with is pruning your blueberries. Prune old dry stems from the third winter onwards, prune to the ground or else to a vigorous new shoot that’s close to the ground. Hard pruning in winter will result in larger, earlier fruit.

If you’re planning to start off rhubarb this year it’s a good idea to get the soil prepped now, as rhubarb stays in the same place for a few years it’s worth spending a bit of time and effort making it a nice home. To do this dig a hole 2′ (600mm) square where each root is to be planted, pop a bucket full of well rotted manure or compost into the bottom and fork it well into the soil, then chuck another bucket full in and return the top soil. If you’ve got more than one root to plant space them 3′ (1m) apart and mark with a stake.

What to plant

Cauliflowers can be sown in January or early February into a tray of seed compost and they want to be kept at about 10 degrees C. When they are big enough to handle prick them out into a tray of potting compost spaced 2″ (50mm) between plants each way. Cauliflowers will yield well but be warned they are one of the more difficult brassicas to grow. They need well cultivated soil that has had plenty of manure, they also need non acid soil so you must lime if necessary. To get the best results they need to keep growing steadily without any sudden shocks. When you buy seeds to plant now you want to look for a summer heading variety.

Tomatoes can be started off now as long as you have somewhere warm to put them and I’d keep them there until at least 2 weeks after the last expected frosts. The seeds need to be kept above 18 degrees C. Sow them in trays of compost, water but don’t drown them then leave in a warm place out of direct sunlight, I just pop the tray inside an old compost bag, leave them in a warm place, checking to see when the seedlings pop their heads up. When they do move the tray into a sunny position, or take off the compost bag.

Sow onions in trays or pots of seed compost that has been pressed down slightly, (If you dust a fine layer of lime on the surface it makes seeing the seeds much easier.) sow at 1″ (25mm) spacings then dust with more compost and water well through a fine rose or a sprayer. Cover with glass then newspaper and place in a cold greenhouse, a cold frame or under cloches. Remove the news paper as soon as the seeds germinate and the glass before the seedlings reach it.

Radishes can be grow in cloches. To do this put the cloche in place 2 weeks before you intend to sow to warm the soil a little and to prevent excess moisture. Sow thinly in drills 1/4 of an inch (5mm) deep and 6″ (150mm) apart. You want to aim to sow seeds about an inch (25mm) apart as if they are too close the plants will produce foliage instead of roots.

Lettuce can also be planted under cloches that have been in place for 2 weeks. Sow them in drills half an inch (10mm) deep, pop 3 seeds in every 3 inches then thin the 2 weakest plants when half an inch tall.

What to harvest

By now you’ll be working your way through your supply of leeks. If you have any left you can dig them out and heel them in close to the house so you don’t have to go too far for your leeks. Heeling in means opening the ground with a spade and putting the leeks in quite thickly and heeling the soil back onto the roots. They won’t grow anymore but they will keep fresh and alive. They don’t mind frost.

Jerusalem artichokes (above) can be left in the ground all through the winter and if you leave a foot (300mm) of the stalks on you can locate the plants even if there has been snow. These tubers look similar to ginger and are said to make you pass wind but in my experience they don’t have this effect. I read they are good when deep fried but I didn’t like them that way, they were too soft and sloppy. Boil them for about 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the size – until half cooked), drain the water and return to the pan with a nob of butter and some lemon juice and cook for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in some single cream. Cooked like this they are tasty, although my my girlfriend still doesn’t like them! I suppose it’s a matter of taste.

Kale is good to harvest now. If you cut the centre of each plant first it will encourage the production of fresh side shoots.

If the winters where you are are not too cold you can leave cabbages in the ground until you need them. In climates where there is lots of snow and ice you can clamp them or make sauerkraut.

Cabbages can be stored in clamps over winter or fermented to produce delicious Sauerkraut

Clamping is the traditional way of storing some vegetables (mostly root vegetables) but it’s not very effective for small quantities. To make a clamp you pile some straw on the floor, then make a mound in the shape of a pyramid of whatever crop you want to store. Cover with more straw and then cover this with a layer of soil 5 or 6 inches (13-15cm) deep. Beat the soil flat with the back of a spade making sure that some bits of straw protrude from the clamp in order to allow some air in.

Sauerkraut is another traditional method of preserving cabbage with a sour flavour that really compliments fatty meats. I love this with a good piece of roast pork or served with cold ham, cheese and pickles. It’s easy to make and you can find a recipe here.

Brussels sprouts should be picked from the bottom up. The sprouts at the top can be encouraged to swell by removing the cabbage like head at the top, this can be cooked as a separate vegetable.

Antony Barrett and his girlfriend Steff run Frog Shadow Farm, a self-sufficiency project in Bulgaria. You can follow their antics by searching Frog Shadow Ltd on Facebook.

The matter of flavour

While fruit and vegetables in supermarkets may have been selected for their looks, their taste is often lacking. Supermarket tomatoes are a prime example of this; you don’t get the sweet and intense flavour their bright red appearance would suggest. By selecting those tomatoes that ripen evenly and at the same time, this inadvertently means selecting those in which there is reduced photosynthesis and as a result less sugar is produced within the fruits; a completely different story to those available from a small local grower. Equally, refrigerating fresh items might help to extend their shelf life in the supermarket, allowing produce to maintain their appearance for as long as possible, but it does nothing for the taste of cold-sensitive items such as tomatoes, plums, peaches and pears. While supermarkets might not be able to use flavour enhancers with fresh fruit and vegetables, it’s a different matter for those that are processed; think of the peaches canned in syrup, the tinned sweetcorn with added sugar and salt, and those that make their way into ready meals with all manner of natural and artificial additives. In these instances, the nutritional quality has been taken down a peg or two through the extra additions; it’ true that some of these do act as preservatives, but they also encourage our consumption of sometimes less than flavoursome items owing to the time lapsed since they were harvested.

Nutritional quality

Research indicates that there is a lower content of phytonutrients in farmed produce than that found in the wild – these are the plant nutrients believed to protect against the likes of heart disease, cancer and dementia – so even if we make the effort to include the correct balance of foods in our diets they may still not be as nutritious as they could be if sourced correctly too. It appears that selecting produce with the best aesthetics has reduced its nutritional profile. On top of this, the practice of supermarkets sourcing much of their fresh produce from outside the UK – just 20% of the tomatoes sold are  for instance – means that fruit and vegetables already depleted in nutrients lose even more during the days or weeks it may take to reach the supermarket shelves after picking owing to the “food miles” they have had to travel. The items available at your local farm shop or from someone with a smallholding may not be perfectly formed on the outside, but what they offer nutritionally can be far greater.

Maximising your intake

A healthier diet therefore isn’t just about eating more fruit and vegetables, the types you opt for and where they come from are also important considerations. Opting for varieties more akin to wild plants such as scallions and ensuring you obtain these from small-scale local growers – or those that you have grown yourself – can enhance the quality of your diet significantly. Storing your fruit and vegetables correctly once harvested and avoiding overcooking are also vital to minimise loss of nutrients. Considering aspects of your lifestyle can also ensure that the nutrients in the produce you eat can provide maximum benefit. For instance, smokers have higher vitamin C requirements – around twice that of non-smokers – owing to the role of this vitamin in neutralising some of the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. By quitting smoking you therefore allow the vitamin C from your diet to be available for its other functions, which include its role in maintaining the health of the skin, bones circulation and immune system.

Produce that packs a greater nutritional punch isn’t the only benefit from supporting smaller local growers or setting aside a patch in your own garden. Knowing where your food comes from is increasingly important to people, which is a given when buying directly from the grower. Organic farming is also more widely embraced by small-scale growers, providing peace of mind for those wishing to avoid residues from pesticides on their produce; this also appeals to environmentally conscious shoppers as well. In a time when the supermarkets are stocked with so many processed items – and even the fresh produce may be artificially enhanced – there is something reassuring about being able to source your food direct from growers providing substance over style as opposed to the other way around.

1. When transplanting seedlings, water into the hole before planting. The water is therefore around the roots of the seedling and soaking into the ground around the roots, encouraging the roots down. Unless the weather is scorching hot, don’t water again until the fruit and veg is forming. If it is scorching, a weekly soak is much better than a daily sprinkle. A daily light watering is the worst thing you can do.

2. Your lovely long carrots and parsnips are tap roots. You want them to grow straight down in search of water. If you water the tops of the plants you will get short vegetables with hairy roots coming off them at the top. Unless it hasn’t rained for 2-3 weeks, you don’t need to water these vegetables.

3. Similarly potatoes. They don’t need much water. There will be water in the soil below the surface for them to find and if you sprinkle water on the top you will encourage the potatoes to the top where they will turn green.

4. While plants are establishing, you want them to send down long roots. You don’t want roots at the surface, which are much more vulnerable to drought. Watering the surface keeps roots at the surface. Leave them for a while to send down lengthy roots and they will survive much better in the long run.

5. Only when vegetables such as beans are fruiting do they need more water. Try to leave them when they are a green plant.

A few exceptions

Your fruit trees are a different matter, though, and will need a lot of water in their first years. Concentrate on them and save water on the other vegetables!

If you want a regular crop of juicy leaves from salads such as lettuce they will need more water.

Vegetables grown in pots need watering much more often, every day probably. Terracotta pots especially can lose water within a day.

Don’t forget to mulch

Mulch is critical. A thick layer of compost and manure on the surface prevents evaporation from the soil. Stack a thick layer of mulch around your plants and it will keep in the heat as well as water. You don’t need to dig in manure (ever). Worms will do the work for you.

Vic Hobson runs Mudlarks, a community gardening project for adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues. For more information on how you can get involved as a gardener or a volunteer Tel: 07835 714766 or Email: vic@mudlarksgarden.org.uk