If in Doubt, Sprout...

Lou Dungate - Gardening

Recently, we have been experiencing rather strange and sad times. Our country has been in lockdown since March, and I’ve found myself at a little cottage in Cornwall with my husband Charlie, my baby son Hen and a lot more free time. My heart goes out to all who’ve been infected by this terrible pandemic, from our NHS frontline workers to families now divided and worse, losing loved ones.

Like lots of others, I’ve found comfort and solace in the simplest of things - it’s been a bit like stepping back in time. I’ve baked more sourdough than ever before (and the loaves are much better/more edible now), savoured our long daily walks and, perhaps most gratifying of all, have started an indoor garden,

With a herb and chilli kit received for Christmas about three years ago, I set about carefully following instructions and sowing my seeds into the included biodegradable (hooray) pots. The brilliance of these pots (or you can use empty toilet rolls!) is that they can be easily repotted when the plant is bigger, either into a larger pot or straight into the ground. Amazingly, in the recent glorious warm weather, I had a high percentage of little sprouts! Some seeds didn’t germinate at all, sadly - but the compost will be reused. I’m just so proud of the ones that did. The indoor garden now boasts chillis, basil (and lots of it), parsley, sage, and coriander - I’ve also added lavender, giant sunflower and even propagated some rose cuttings! Hope to update you with my progress soon.

Lou

Some useful resources:

The Royal Horticultural Society

Monty Don

Gardener’s World