As the year turns and the seasons progress there are the significant times for sowing, growing and eating

growing food…

SowingFebruary, the weather outside might be frightful but on a warm window sill you can have the first glimpse of spring.

Leaf BurstThis is usually April for milder parts of Scotland although the last few years have been a bit unpredictable. Now we can begin to plant out and sow frost tender plants into the garden. Fruit trees will begin to send out their first leaves so this is the end of the pruning and planting season for them.

MidsummerThe longer days are telling the plants to reach their climax, to send out flowers and make seeds. Avoid sowing seeds around this time especially greens as they will tend to bolt and go to seed and miss out the tasty leafy stage. The following months are our abundant months, spend time harvesting summer food and nurturing and protecting your plants.

RESOURCES: Sowing and growingGetting started growing your own food can be a daunting thing - where do you start? What should you grow, and when. There are so many books and websites out there with a huge depth of knowledge, so what we have produced is a very simple guide to the basics.

“Look deep into Nature and then you will understand everything better” - Albert Einstein

The gardener’s yearWritten and illustrated by Elly Kinross

The wheel of the year

Late sowingsClever people who will have vegetables to eat at the leaner times of year are sowing seeds in late summer. Broad beans, salads, spring cabbages, peas, garlic and onions all can be sown now for early crop next year or a crop through the autumn.

Harvest time

September and October is the time when the most of your large produce like potatoes, pumpkins, squash, courgette, cucumbers, tomatoes are ready to harvest. Store, preserve, celebrate and eat. First frostFrom now on any frost tender plants that are growing outside will begin to die off and stop producing. Time to calm down, tidy up and prepare your remaining plants and the soil for the coming winter.

OverwinteringNurture and protect (and eat) those wonderful plants that can handle (mostly) whatever the Scottish winter throws at them.

Choosing what to grow

• Lovegrowingwhatyoulovetoeat.• Mostannualfruitandvegreallyneed

sunlight everyday to grow. If yourgardenorgrowingspaceisnotsunnythere are still things that you cangrow. Spinach, salads, blackcurrants,gooseberriesandleafyherbslikemintwillallstillthriveinshadygardens.

Sowing and germinatingLots of plants will like to be sown indoors then moved outside when the weather is better and they are a bit bigger (courgettes, pumpkins, cabbages). Others are happy to go straight into where they will grow (carrots, beetroot, salad), but the fussiest of all will want to be inside all summer (tomatoes, French beans).

• Sowyour seedsabout asdeepas theseedisbig.

• Some seeds germinate best in aconstantlywarmplace.Can youfindsomewherewithunderfloorheating,itisgreatforgerminatingseeds!

• After your seeds have germinatedsomewillneed tomoved toabiggerpot,thisiscalledprickingout.

• Seeds inrowsareeasier toweedandtoprotectbutbroadcastsowingisfunandworksreallywellforsomeplantsespeciallysaladleafmixes.

Growing• Differentplantslikedifferentsoil.Feed

the soil before putting in courgettes,pumpkins, potatoes, cabbages. Rakethesoilhardbeforeputtinginparsnipscarrotsandbeetroot.

• Someplantsneedsomesupport,canesandnettingarereallyhandyforthis.

• Beforeyouplantanythingweedyourgrowing space, really try to get asmuch of the roots of the weeds outasyoucan.Hoebetweenyourplantson a sunny day and watch the weedseedlingshrivelintonothing.

• Plants that are indoors will needwateringatleasteverycoupleofdayswhenitiswarm.

• Whenaplantisproducingfruitithelpstogiveitsomeextrafeed.Hereishowtomakeyourowntomatofeed:

Collect up some helpful weeds like comfrey and nettles, put them in a bucket with some water and put a lid on. Wait until they turn into back sludgy liquid (about 3 weeks). Mix the liquid with water to make something that looks about the colour of tea and then feed it to your tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, courgettes

• Mulching(coveringthesoilaroundthe plants) really reduces the needto water and weed. It also protectsthe soils nutrients and structure. Bigcardboard boxes are brilliant, so are

grass clippings and leaf mould orstrawusewhateverisaround.

• Every garden has its own specialpests.Thebestdefenceagainstallofthemishealthyplantssokeepfeedingand watering. Gardeners have greatstories about successfully protectingplantsfrompests

• Use netting with stakes to protectyourplantsfrombigpestslikerabbits,pigeons, chickens, cats and also forthecabbagewhitebutterfly.

Further reading

Fruit and Vegetables in Scotland by Kenneth Cox and Caroline Beaton

The Permaculture Garden by Graham Bell.

The Allotment Book by Andy Cleavely

www.gardenorganic.org.ukwww.realseeds.co.uk

© 1986 Panda Symbol WWF - World Wide FundFor Nature( Formerly World Wildlife Fund)® “WWF” is a WWF Registered Trademark

Find out more about the Seed Truck:

www.fifediet.co.uk/seedtruck