A gardening expert has spilled the beans on the must-plant vegetable this season, regardless of the frosty forecast.
Monty Don, the famous British gardener and television host, has shared his green-fingered wisdom, advising that now is the time to sow certain vegetables despite the nippy air.
On his website, Monty shared: “In the vegetable garden I dig and, if the soil is dry enough, sow broad beans and plant onion sets.”
He further advised keen gardeners: “If the ground is at all workable then I always try and sow some broad beans in February for an early crop.
“As soon as the soil warms up a little and the days get longer they will have had enough of a start to provide a picking a week or so earlier than the later ones – and that is a treat worth preparing for.”
The horticulturalist also highlighted: “The potting shed and greenhouse become the centre of activity, sowing seeds, taking dahlias out of hibernation, chitting potatoes.
“There is a temptation to sow too much, and almost everything that is to eventually be planted outside is better left until March, but I find it an irresistible impulse to sow as much as I can.”
The face of Gardeners’ World pointed out that before Spring arrives ‘there is a lot to do in the garden’, which makes it crucial to make the most of any ‘good weather’ during these months, reports the Mirror.
He clarified that ‘good’ weather in winter ‘means dry and not so cold that the ground is frozen hard’.
Monty revealed his unique approach to sowing tomatoes during the colder season, detailing: “I like to sow tomatoes in two batches, the first in February and another in March or even April both to stagger the harvest and as an insurance against bad weather.”
“I scatter the seed thinly on the surface of peat-free compost in a seed tray and then very lightly covering them either with a layer of more compost or of vermiculite. Water them well and put them in a warm spot to germinate.”
