March growing with Rachel
Clumps of crocus provide splashes of colour throughout the garden, daffodils are waking from their slumber and the chickens are even considering laying us eggs for breakfast again. Arguably better still, seed sowing season is upon us and in a few weeks the windowsills will be overflowing. From experience, it’s easy to get carried away and sow the entire contents of your seed tin, but March weather can still provide some cold nights, or even snow, so proceed with caution!
I’ve been growing vegetables and flowers across our garden and allotment for 15 years, and this year I’m growing the free edible seeds that come with Gardeners’ World Magazine. I’ll be sharing my advice and growing notes with you every month.
Homegrown tomatoes plucked straight from the vine are infinitely sweeter than any shop-bought tomato, and ‘Sun Baby’ has just the right amount of acidity, making it a must-grow for summer salads. It’s a bright yellow cherry tomato that the little hands in our family can’t resist picking, and it will grow around 50 fruits per truss. What I love about this variety is that it will happily grow outdoors rather than needing a greenhouse, though it grows well there too. I’ve had a good crop from a pot on our patio, so it’s extremely versatile.
Sow with meTo start the seeds off, I’ll sow around 10 seeds in a 10cm pot which is filled with peat-free multipurpose compost. You could also reuse a clean yoghurt pot or a cardboard cup, so you can write the variety on the side – just make
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