It's now very nearly the end of January, and soon the gardening season will be upon us. No more sitting indoors wishing the weather would improve, we can get out and do some actual work. Leave a message to let me know what your plans are for this year. Are you trying any new varieties? Or will you be changing the way you do things in your garden? Expanding, or scaling down?

This year, I am planning to try trailing tomatoes for the first time. If you have grown these in the past, any tips or suggestions will be appreciated. I am also planning to make another attempt at sweetcorn, hopefully it will be 4th time lucky. For some reason, I never have much luck with it.

One of the great things about the internet is the range of useful tools and resources that can be found. This is true for gardeners as well as everyone else. In this post, I would like to share a few goodies that have caught my eye. I hope you will find them useful, and if you have anything you would like to recommend, just leave a message. Don't forget the url!

BBC Virtual Garden Designer - A free software programme that helps you to design your garden in 3D. It's actually aimed at general gardeners, but could also be useful for growers of edibles, to help give you an idea of how a new design will look.

Kalyn's Kitchen: Weekend Herb Blogging - A great community venture. Each week bloggers post pictures and information about herbs. Informative and fun too.

Paul's Garden World - Nice variety of information about many aspects of gardening, this link takes you to the vegetable section. The information offered is easy to understand, and should prove useful to beginners.

Alenka's Printables - Selection of cute seed packets you can print out for free.

HP Spring Garden Kits - A range of plant tags, to do lists and planners you can print out for free.

Garden Organic Compost Guide - The title says it all, if you haven't started a compost heap yet, this guide tells you everything you need to know.

Brussels Sprouts (brassica olaracea)

Brussels Sprouts look like mini cabbages arranged along a tall stem. A vegetable of cooler climes, sprouts are pretty hardy, and will survive frost and other unpleasant winter weather.

How to Grow: Seeds can be sown outdoors from late Spring until Autumn, successive sowings, every two week will ensure a continuous supply. You can sow seed indoors earlier, and transplant the seedlings outside when the weather is warmer. Sprouts do need a lot of water, but ensure that it is absorbed into the ground, they don’t like soggy, waterlogged soil, and this can cause them to rot. To prevent this happening, make sure your ground drains well, by digging it over thoroughly beforehand.

I have encountered two main problems when growing brassicas. Caterpillars and slugs/snails. Nasturtiums make a good companion plant for sprouts, and brassicas in general. I have found that growing them nearby, does help to deter the cabbage white butterflies, which are responsible for the caterpillars that can devastate a crop. To deal with slugs and snails, try beer traps, also known as slug pubs. You can make these at home very cheaply and easily. Simply take some empty yoghurt pots, bury them in the ground, leaving the top open, and fill with beer. Don’t waste the good stuff, slugs aren’t members of the real ale campaign, either buy something cheap, or use some that is left over and flat. Slugs will be attracted by the smell, fall in and drown. Yes, they do still die, but probably a lot happier then if they ate pellets, or were sprinkled with salt.

Harvesting: It takes some time for sprouts to mature, so you will begin to harvest them about twenty weeks after sowing. Once harvested sprouts can be stored in three ways. Either, leave them on the stem and hang them somewhere cool and dark, a shed is ideal. This way they will keep for up to a month. Alternatively, pick the sprouts from the stem, and keep them in your fridge. This way they will last about a week. If you want to freeze them, simply remove any dead or discoloured leaves, and using a sharp knife place an X in the base of each sprout. Blanch for a few minutes in boiling water, then plunge them into very cold water to cool. Stored in freezer bags they will keep for approximately six months.

Propagation: Brussels Sprouts produce seed, you may have seen this when a crop has been left to it’s own devices. To have your own seed to sow next year, leave one plant unharvested, it will grow a large seed head which will eventually turn brown and dry. Once the seed head is ripe (ie: brown and dry) collect the seed by placing it into a paper bag and shaking it. The seeds will fall out into the bottom of the bag, and can be placed in an envelope and stored somewhere cool and dry until needed.

Cooking: Traditionally sprouts are boiled in water. Try reducing the cooking time a little to give a crunchier sprout, and before cooking cut a cross into the base in the same way as you would if freezing them. I picked this tip up during my student days when I had a summer job in a hotel. Or, try adding them raw to salads. To reduce the sprouty taste, that many people dislike, add a teaspoon of caraway seeds to the cooking water.

Carrots (daucus carota)

The humble carrot is a surprisingly versatile vegetable, Not only is it a tasty addition to a Sunday lunch, it is delicious when add raw to a salad, and it can even be used to make cakes. The carrot originated in Europe, making it a good vegetable to grow in cooler parts of the world.

How to Grow: Seed is sown from spring to late summer, in a warm sunny situation. Before sowing, ensure your soil is fine and stone free, any obstructions will result in forked or mis-shapen carrots. If you want to grow your carrots in containers, either use very deep pots, or try a dwarf variety of carrot. Sow your seed in rows about 6 inches apart.

Once your seedlings have reached the two leaf stage, thin them out, to about one plant every 4 inches, choosing the healthiest looking seedlings. Avoid over-watering because this can cause the roots (ie your crop) to swell and crack.

One of the biggest problems you may face is the dreaded carrot root fly. This can be deterred through companion planting. Because these flys find the carrots by scent, grow your carrots next to onions, chives, leeks or garlic, and you should find that the strong aromas keep the carrot fly at bay. Also, avoid thinning your seedlings on warm, windy days, to prevent the smell of the carrots being broadcast over a large area.

Harvesting: You can harvest your carrots approximately 12 to 16 weeks after sowing depending on whether you want sweet baby carrots or larger mature ones. Successive sowings will mean you can have a mixture of both for a prolonged period. Harvest by digging up with a garden fork, insert the prongs away from the actual plant, so that you are lifting it out of the ground, not digging into it.

Freezing: Carrots freeze well, and will keep for up to six months. Simply wash well, and slice. Blanch in boiling water for a few minutes, then plunge into cold. Dry off and place in freezer bags.

Propagation: Carrots will produce seeds which can be stored and used the following year. You must use the seed within one year because it won’t keep any longer than that. To collect carrots seed, wait until it has turned brown, then snip of the flower head, and place into a paper bag. It is best to use a bag because the seed is very fine. Hang the bag somewhere warm and dry for a few days, and the seed will drop away from the flower. Store your seed in a envelope inside an airtight container some cool and dry.

One Last Tip: Jazz up plain old boiled carrots with a sprinkling of fresh thyme and a knob of butter. If you are watching your fat intake, substitute olive oil for butter.

Before I begin, please let me make it clear, I am not against the use of non-organic seeds. If that is what you choose to use, then so be it. It's not up to me to tell you what you should put in your garden. We all have choices, and I believe it is important to respect the choices other people make. In addition, the following comments are only my personal opinions.

Why Use Organic Seeds?

There are a few reasons why I would choose to use organic seeds. The first is that I tend to grow species which are native to my area. This means organic seeds do indeed produce better plants because they are growing in their ideal condition.. Even, when I grow plants which come from other parts of the world, they are well established species, and the seeds have been developed over many decades which means they have evolved into plants which grow well in my climate. Therefore, they need little in the way of extra help. After all, if something grew perfectly well in a Victorian garden, it really doesn't need assistance to help it grow in a 21st century one.

The next reason is a little more controversial. The problem with non-organic seeds is that a growing number have been genetically modified, which has rendered them infertile. This means that you won't be able to save seed from them to use the following year because they won't produce any. This practice is good for seed producers because they can 'copyright' their product. In other words, you will have to buy new seed each time you wish to grow a particular plant. Now, I don't know about you but I find this a rather sad indication of the world we live in. For generations gardeners have traded seeds, cuttings and so on. And also used their existing plants to create new varieties. With increasing reliance on genetic modification this tradition will come to an end. I personally think this would be a tragedy.

It is true, that not all non-organic seed is infertile, but there does seem to be an ever increasing amount which is GM and which is unable to reproduce itself.. Furthermore, the necessity for these modifications are not always as black and white as they are claimed to be. Producers will say that making these alterations results in stronger, healthier seed. However, if gardeners used varieties which were native to their part of the world, or which were heirloom/heritage varieties, these modifications would not be necessary because they would have plants which were perfectly adapted to their environment.

There is a longer term danger. Just suppose that one day, all plants are grown from GM seed. Imagine the effect this could have on our environment. Species would be unable to cross pollinate, leading to a decline in plant life, and also insect and animal species which rely on those plants for food. Your garden may seem as though it just your personal bit of green space, but trust me it is more than that. To an endless number of creatures it is both home and a jolly good restaurant. Remove that food supply and you remove an important part of the food chain. The logical conclusion would be a very barren world indeed.

As I said at the beginning of this piece, these comments are only my personal opinions, but they are shared by a growing number of people. As a gardener you can do your bit to preserve our natural heritage, by choosing organic seed, and gardening organically. Try to grow local varieties, or if they are not available choose heirloom or heritage seeds and plants. These are traditional varieties which have proved themselves through decades of use in normal gardens. To paraphrase an Irish saying, we don’t own the earth, we are just keeping it safe for future generations. Organic seeds may be small, but they are a big part of this.

Further Reading:

Garden Organic
The Organic Gardening Catalogue

On the kitchen garden front, it is safe to say winter has well and truly arrived in Yorkshire. This week we have had a succession of thick frosts, which do make everywhere look delightful, rather like a scene from a Christmas card. On the downside, it is also extremely cold, and gardening is difficult because the ground is so hard. I'm waiting for a warmer spell before I venture out to do any work.

Well, the weather may not be suitable for gardening, but there is plenty to do indoors. You could follow the advice in my previous post, and start an indoor herb garden. This is a great way to have access to your favourite herbs all winter long. Alternatively, spend a comfy evening by the fire, armed with a notebook and a selection of your favourite gardening catalogues, and make some plans for next years crops. Begin by detailing what you grew this year, how it worked out, and so on. Now, plan next years harvest. List all the 'regulars', in other words crops you grow from year to year. Then, choose a few new varieties. They say variety is the spice of life, and this applies in the garden too. If you are feeling artistic, why not draw up a plan, detailing what you will grow and where. You can do this with a pencil and paper, or try a purpose made garden design software package. Type garden design software into your favourite search engine and see what comes up. You may even be lucky enough to find a good quality freebie, there are some out there.

I'll leave you with a kitchen tip. Cabbage is one of my favourite winter vegetables, but it's not always that popular with children. There are two ways I have found to get my kiddiwinks to eat cabbage. The first is to use a firm white cabbage, chopped up finely and made into coleslaw. The second is for cooked cabbage, try adding a teaspoon of mint and a sprinkling of black pepper to the cooking water. It reduces the cabbage taste which many children find overpowering.

And if you would like a recipe for coleslaw, this is mine:

1 white cabbage (chopped finely)
2 apples (sliced)
2 carrots (grated)
6 tbs mayonnaise (add more if you require a moister texture)
1 tbs vinegar
sprinkling of black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, and chill in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes or until needed.

Herbs which will grow indoors:

- Basil
- Oregano
- Mint
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
- Angelica
- Chamomile
- Dill
- Fennel
- Lavender
- Geranium
- Chives

You will need to find a sunny, well lit spot to grow your indoor herb garden.
Ideally, it should be south facing, but if this isn't possible choose a situation
that will receive plenty of light through out the day. Try to avoid a north
facing place because it is unlikely the plants will receive enough light to
grow properly.

What you will need:

- Herbs, either plants or seeds
- Good quality compost
- Suitable containers

Buy your herbs from reputable suppliers, don't buy seed packets which
are out of date, and avoid any straggly or unhealthy looking plants. The
same is true for compost, choose a good all purpose compost, your
herbs will be relying on it for nutrition for some time.

The containers are easier to select. You will find a wide range at garden
centers and nurseries. Alternatively, you can use ones you already have,
or adapt other objects. I grow my geraniums in a old mop bucket, and my
lemon mint is growing in a teapot with a broken handle.

If your children are helping with your indoor garden, a nice idea is to take
some plain plant pots, and let the kids decorate them with paint, paper
etc. to produce their own unique pots.

Once you have planted your garden, it will need some care. Remember,
indoor plants rely on you totally. Water regularly, but be careful not to
over-water, this is the main cause of death for most indoor plants. No more
than once a week should be sufficient, I water once every two weeks. Check
the compost before watering, if it still feels moist wait and check again the
next day. If you have used a good compost, and your winter is relatively
short you will probably only need to feed your plants once. However, often
you need to feed your herbs, bear in mind that if you plan to eat them, it is
a good idea to use an organic plant food.

Copyright Kate Gilby All Rights Reserved

We are now at the end of October, and so far no sign of a frost. I’m not sure how long this situation will continue, but for the moment we still have a few tomatoes left, they will need to be harvested very soon. Plus, nasturtiums, one of my favourite kitchen garden plants are thriving, creating a glorious array of colour. Because so many people simply think of them as an annual bedding plant, I thought I'd take this opportunity to tell you more about the versatility of nasturtiums.

Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum)
Originating in South America, Nasturtiums have become a cottage garden favourite. Great as a plant for children to grow, they are also edible, and make a good companion plant.

To Grow: Sow your seeds in the spring once the last frost has passed. The seeds are very large which makes them ideal for young children. Choose a light, well draining soil, in a sunny spot. There is no need to fertilise the area, in fact this is best avoided because an overly fertile soil will result in a large number of leaves and few flowers.

Flowering: Nasturtiums flower from mid summer until the first frost, when the whole plant usually dies back.

Propagation: It is unlikely that you will ever need to propagate your nasturtiums They self seed very easily and will reappear year, after year. If you want to plant some in another part of your garden, simply collect the seed once it has dried. Store it over winter in a cool. dark place. The best way is to pop it into an envelope, which you then place in a glass jar, which is in turn kept in the fridge. Make sure the jar is airtight to avoid any chance of the seed becoming damp.

Uses: Nasturtiums make a brilliant companion plant. Grow some in amongst your vegetables to protect them from caterpillars and aphids. However, nasturtiums are also an edible plant themselves, so keep some to use in your kitchen.

The leaves, flowers and seeds can all be eaten. Try adding a handful of flowers to a salad, to give a colourful variation. Or, for a tangy alternative to chives, chop nasturtium leaves finely, and sprinkle them over a jacket potato. Nasturtium seeds have traditionally been added to herbal vinegars. This isn’t something I have tried yet, but if I do, I will report back with the results. In the meantime, if anyone has used nasturtiums seeds in their own vinegars, I’d love to hear from them.

For more information and recipes:
http://www.gardenguides.com/flowers/annuals/nasturtium.htm
http://www.sallys-place.com/food/columns/gilbert/nasturtiums.htm
http://www.rainyside.com/herbs/nasturtium.html