Today a friend who lives at a distance said she must ask my advice about growing veg. Flattering though that was, I should make it clear that I am not a horticulturalist and not even an experienced veg grower, having only been doing it in a more dedicated fashion for the last five years or so. And I still can’t grow beetroot, which is a matter of great embarrassment because everyone tells me it’s one of easiest veg to grow.
Anyway, I sent her a few random thoughts and as she said they had made her smile, I’ll pass them on:
Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy'd the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought, to have done…?
Matthew Arnold
Anyway, I sent her a few random thoughts and as she said they had made her smile, I’ll pass them on:
- Don’t let anyone else tell you what to grow, grow only what you like and want to eat.
- The Internet is bursting with gardening advice and ‘how to ‘ videos. You don’t need to take any of it, but it will help you realise there are many ways to plant out leeks, not matter what the purists say.
- Start your kids gardening as young as possible. They respond to instant results, so why not sow some seeds on your own, wait two weeks and let your children sow them. Swop the pots secretly so that they have the joy of seeing their seeds burst into life in a matter of hours. Give them their own little plot in the garden and don’t worry too much if they accidentally dig up their beans tunnelling to Australia.
- Be prepared to lose half of your crop to slugs, aphids and birds - once you have that mindset, you can never be disappointed, anything left will be a wonderful bonus.
- Your most trusty tool is a good sharp onion hoe. Hoe every dry and sunny day - it takes just a few moments and makes a huge difference. Hoeing when its wet is a waste of energy.
- Experiment with cuisine. So if you have three radishes, one potato and a handful of parsley - invent a new dish. My best recipes have mostly been serendipitous
- Savour the whole experience - the sight of your green shoots, the smell of your herbs, the texture of your fennel, the sound of the bees and the taste of everything. If nothing works out and you have to resort to the supermarket, you still got to have time outdoors in nature, for after all….
Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy'd the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought, to have done…?
Matthew Arnold