Something about Aaron setting us on our way for a bountiful year?
SOWING FRENZY As the growing season gets underway, gardener-cook Aaron Bertelsen is in a hurry to sow seeds under cover, and moving some of his early sown peas out into the veg patch WORDS AARON BERTELSEN ILLUSTRATION ALICE PATTULLO
y goal is to spend most of March in Mrs Nextdoor’s glasshouse, sowing seed, pricking out and moving seedlings around. I feel so lucky to have this additional space. It really is such a luxury, especially at this time of year when it feels like everything is happening at once. Every year, I have a bit of a panic when I think I am not going to have enough space – whether that is for my pricked-out seedlings or for the plants themselves in the garden. Yet I cannot stop myself sowing more and more seeds. Perhaps that is what people mean when they talk about spring fever. One crop I always sow under glass in March is peas, but other candidates for early sowing include sorrel, lettuce, Swiss chard, perpetual spinach and my beloved beetroot. The trick is to harden the plants off as soon as you can, and get them outside. Cover with fleece if the nights are still cold. This way, by the time the soil has warmed up, you will have a whole army of plants hardened off, ready to plant out into the garden where they can burst into growth.
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What to sow There is virtually no time in the year when I do not have Swiss chard growing somewhere, whether in the garden itself or in a pot in the courtyard. But even this seemingly inexhaustible crop eventually runs out of steam, and this is the time to start over again. I sow my seeds under glass so that I can have decent-sized seedlings by planting time. Prick out when the true leaves have formed, and plant out once they have reached a decent size – if you have sown in plug trays, look for roots coming out of the bottom of the plug – provided the weather is mild enough. Chard will grow happily in a large pot too. Just allow about 10cm between seedlings when planting out in a pot, or 15cm in the ground. Don’t be tempted to plant them closer as they are prone to mould. The other danger comes from slugs and snails, which love the tender young leaves, so add a sprinkle of slug pellets and keep the surrounding area free from weeds. Try ‘Peppermint’ with its candystriped pink and white stems, or the aptly named ‘Pink Flamingo’, which contrasts stems of an eye-popping cerise with the darkest green glossy leaves.
