Winter Solstice

Hi Everyone.

This year the winter solstice will be on Wednesday 21st December, the shortest day of the year for us in the Northern hemisphere.

"Winter Solstice is the great stillness before the Sun's strength builds, and days grow longer. It can be a time to rest and reflect."

So what have we got in store for you this month?

• What to sow and grow in December.

• Windowsill Sprouts and Micro greens, part 1

• Did you know?

• 7 Jobs for the winter.

• Food for thought.



And lastly, Lottie news and members questions.

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As mentioned earlier, the days are still getting shorter, but if like me the urge to sow and grow something is still very strong, a good way to get round this is growing sprouts. Now, I don't mean the Brussels type, I mean the Alfalfa type.

All you need is a large glass jar, a bit of muslin or something similar and some seeds. If you've not sprouted before, there are a few things to remember.

1. Don't buy garden centre seeds, make sure they are specifically for sprouting. Links below.
2. Don't buy too many seeds at one go. A 100g will be plenty and will last you a while.
3. Don't be tempted to put in too many seeds in one go as they expand greatly once germinated.
4. Make sure they are kept out of direct sunlight while sprouting.
5. When they are ready to eat, ones not used should be kept in the fridge for up to a week.

My favourite sprouts are Broccoli, because they are so good for you, Clover, Mung Beans and Green Lentils.

Here's a couple of links to companies that sell the seeds and sprouting jars.

https://skysprouts.co.uk/products/seeds-for-sprouting/

https://www.healthysupplies.co.uk/sprouting-seeds.html

The video below is for Mung Beans, but the process is the same whatever seeds or beans you decide on.

Part 2 will be next month and I'll tell you the difference between Sprouts and Micro Greens.

Winter is a great time to get all those jobs done that you've put off doing in the busy spring and summer months. Because your crops are slowing down doesn't mean there's nothing to do. Here are my top seven jobs to do in your food garden this winter.

1. Compost your beds - Now is a great time to cover your beds with some well rotted compost. If you are a no-dig gardener you'll know that about an inch or two of compost will keep your soil nice and cosy and well fed throughout the following year.
2. Wood chip your paths - Wood chip not only helps to keep the weeds down and looks nice, but it also feeds the soil and keeps it healthy.
3. Tidy up your wildlife pond. - Now's a good time to clean out your little pond by fishing out dead leaves and trimming back overgrown pond plants.
4. Make or turn your compost bin - Do you have a compost bin? If not this is a great time to build one or start one.
5. Sort out your shed - Give your shed a once over especially the roof. We're coming up to the stormy weather months so best to make sure your roof is firmly fixed down and not leaky.
6. Clean and sharpen your tools - While going through your shed you can gather up your tools and make sure they will all be in good working order for the spring.
7. And lastly, planting bare root fruit trees when they are dormant is a perfect winter job so they can be all settled in and ready for the spring.

...Why can't I get my Fennel to grow bulbs?

While helping out at the growing project last week, a member of the public called over the fence and asked about the Fennel we were cutting back. They wanted to know why their Fennel just grew leaves and didn't grow any bulbs.

In my experience Fennel is very temperamental! Too little water, it bolts, too much water and it bolts. Too cold, too hot, it bolts. But there is one thing that will guarantee you won't get any bulbs and that's if it is planted too close together. Seedlings must be given lots of room to grow. If they are too close together they will just grow feathery leaves and then flower and go to seed. Make sure you thin the seedlings out early on so they have plenty of light, water and space to develop.

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