May growing with Rachel
May. The cold memories of winter replaced by the promise of summer evenings pottering around our green spaces. It’s a non-stop, exciting month in the garden as the risk of frost has passed in the UK, she says confidently! But that means all those seedlings you’ve been nurturing in the greenhouse and on windowsills can finally be planted out and seeds sown directly into the soil.
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 on starting seeds as well as my experiences on plants we’re growing on.
I always remember when my sister, a talented chef, said the one herb she couldn’t be without was parsley. I was quite convinced she was wrong – that basil was the indisputable Queen of herbs. However, as I’ve grown more adventurous in the kitchen I’ve seen the error of my ways and am acknowledging she was right. Just don’t let her read this.
You can’t beat a salad of chopped parsley and mint, mixed with tomatoes, cucumber, lemon and garlic. Plus it’s full of vitamin C and iron, and a firm favourite of our chickens too. We actually have a rescue hen called Parsley for that very reason.
Parsley (the herb) is easy to grow in containers or borders. It likes moist soil with good drainage and will happily grow even in part shade. It’s great for small spaces – I’ll be growing across containers and in beds at our allotment to show you how versatile
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