I’m often asked what fuels my passion for growing food. Some people assume that it’s cheaper to feed myself this way (alas, it’s not) or that I’m striving towards “self-sufficiency”. I bristle at this unhelpful term because – as most food growers and gardeners know well – we rely on all manner of creatures and elements to ensure that our seeds germinate and our plants flourish, from the earthworms in the soil to the rain that falls from the sky.
Learning how to grow food has much more to offer than a hyper-individualist fantasy. It enables me to develop a deeper connection to my family and the living world. It nudges me to consider how what I eat got to my plate, insists I express gratitude to all the living things that cooperate to produce that food, and is one of the few acts that can give more than it takes from the natural world – something we all need to consider in these times of environmental crisis. It is a beautiful and fascinating adventure and, often enough, it is delicious.
There is nothing quite like taking a plant you’ve nurtured and transforming it into a meal for someone you care for. Whether it’s golden beetroot or purple-podded peas, misshapen kohlrabi or tomatoes that have split after an unexpected downpour, I’m certain the vegetables that I grow in my small, east-facing plot in East Sussex taste finer than the ones that I buy – no matter how ugly or imperfect.
While some gardeners like to spend dark winter evenings poring over seed catalogues, there are others – like me – who await the lengthening days before daring to dream of sumptuous harvests. That time is now. Winter is shifting into spring, the perfect moment to plan your vegetable growing for the season ahead – there’s still plenty of time to decide what crops you’d like to grow and to order your seeds.
If you’re feeling brave (and have a warm, bright windowsill or a heated propagator), now is also a good time to sow your first hopeful seeds. Aubergines and chillies need the full duration of the British growing season to be in with the best chance of a decent harvest, so starting them early is essential. Having said that, if you can’t provide ample sunlight during this early seedling stage, you run the risk of raising weak plants that will struggle later on, so consider ordering plug plants – as I’ve done many times. They will arrive on your doorstep having had the best possible start in life, raised and cared for in ideal conditions.
In this column, I’ll be writing about my love for growing food by sharing the seeds I’m sowing, the crops I’m harvesting and the produce I’m cooking. I hope that you’ll grow along with me.
