No matter where you live, whether you have a garden, balcony, fire escape or windowsill, growing some of your own fresh produce can be a positive action against climate change. There are no food miles from pot to plate,
no plastic packaging or chemical sprays involved, just lovingly tendered home grown organic produce that is as fresh as fresh can be. You’ll perhaps be surprised by the variety of fare that can realistically (and easily) be grown in even the smallest space at this time of year. Plus, the joy of germinating a seed into a plant into food provides a magical connection that is simple yet hard to beat.

Pick and come again salad leaves are one of the easiest plants with which to work, and one packet of mixed seed will go far. Herbs are also excellent and many (like parsley, thyme, rosemary and sage) will stand firm against the cold if grown outside. They are also excellent for attracting pollinating insects in the summer. Inside, in a warm spot you can also widen your culinary reach with micro herbs like coriander, mint, dill, fennel and basil for a tantalising taste of sunshine in the darkest depths of winter. Just choose a sunny spot on a windowsill, keep harvesting your leaves and more will grow.

To get started, you can also do your bit by making use of salvaged materials as planting pots, such as plastic containers, old wellington boots, drawers or boxes. Then it’s just a case of picking up your seed of choice, some peat free compost, and you are good to grow.

It really isn’t hard to do. Nature knows best and your seeds will want to grow. It’s their natural predisposition to burst into life, before flowering and setting seed of their own. In fact it was common for gardeners to complete the natural cycle in this way before we all became so reliant on buying everything. In the case of salad leaves, coriander, rocket, radish and parsley, you can realistically also save your own seed with little to no fuss at all. Isn’t nature marvellous?

by KIM STODDART