AND SO IT begins again. Another year of seed sowing. I did my first sowing of the year yesterday afternoon in the potting shed, and as always was completely and utterly in my element.

There’s a lot of talk of late about mindfulness and the need for us all to train our minds to slow down the chatter. Over the last few years I’ve become interested in mindfulness meditation, sitting quietly for ten minutes, usually first thing in the morning.

I’ve discovered that you tend to notice the benefits elsewhere in the day rather than during the ten minutes on the cushion. There are simply more moments during the day where you are fully present, noticing a sight or sound or sensation or smell, rather than being permanently distracted by the incessant stream of thoughts in your head.

Some activities lend themselves particularly well to mindfulness

You also notice that some activities lend themselves particularly well to mindfulness. You might have to remind yourself to focus on brushing your teeth for example, for it is a task that becomes so routine and so boring, that you rarely pay much attention to it.

But seed sowing for me is an activity that automatically silences the mind, and brings me back to present moment awareness. I guess it’s because it’s such an intricate process, trying to coax the life out of tiny little seeds.

Anyway, it’s not surprising that the time I spend sowing seeds in the potting shed, is generally when I am at my most content (and honestly, “content” is not a word that anyone would generally use to describe me). Seed sowing is my happy place.

The sowing year

I always find it ironic that the sowing year kicks off in what still feels like the depths of winter with three of the quintessential Mediterranean crops: tomatoes, aubergines and peppers (chilli and sweet). But all three of these vegetables need a long growing season in our climate and so they benefit from a February sowing.

You have the option of waiting another few months and buying the seedlings for these vegetables from a garden centre, but if you want to sow from seed then now’s the time to get cracking.

It’s way too cold for them to germinate in our miserable February weather (they will need a temperature of between 21 and 27 degrees Celsius) and so you need to provide them with artificial heat. This can be done either by keeping them indoors on a sunny windowsill in the house, or if outside in a greenhouse, polytunnel or potting shed you will need a heated mat. These are relatively inexpensive to buy.

My little bit of Spain

I sow tomatoes, aubergines and peppers in module trays (one seed to each module) and then place the trays themselves on the heated mat. The mat that I have is about 2m long and can be set to a specific temperature. It also has a sensor so if things warm up in the potting shed during the day, then it will switch itself off automatically.

Just to be sure, I also cover the module trays with fleece which should make a bitterly cold Dunmore East feel a little more like the south of Spain. It will be a couple of months before the seedlings are moved on from the module trays into their own pots, and longer again before they’re planted in the ground.

Crucially, I will have to wait until July to eat the first tomatoes. But at least we’ve started.

The Basics – The Needs of Seeds

You will probably remember from your science classes back in school, that seeds need some specific conditions in order to germinate and thrive. Most seeds need these three conditions:

1. Heat. Generally speaking most seeds need a decent temperature to germinate. A warm windowsill in the house or a heated bench in the potting shed is therefore ideal for starting seeds off. There are exceptions, but it’s a good rule of thumb.
2. Light. Once germination begins, light is essential. This explains why seeds sown too early in the year often get “leggy” and weak. They are literally straining to reach the light because there is not enough daylight. Some veg like celery and lettuce need light in order to germinate in the first place. Most seeds need 14 hours or so of light in order to thrive. Some growers even use artificial lighting to compensate for the lack of natural light early in the year. I prefer to work with the seasons a little more.
3. Humidity/ moisture. The key when it comes to watering seeds is that they need uniform moisture. Not water-logged, and certainly never allowed to dry out. Gentle watering with a fine rose is essential to ensure you don’t wash the seeds away (or push them too deep into the soil to germinate).

This Month at GROW HQ

Spring has sprung (just about) and this month at GROW HQ we’ve a range of courses, classes and events to kick off the growing season. We’ve also a range of cookery courses, and special seasonal eating events including a silent mindful lunch and our monthly Friday Feast. For more check out www.growhq.org.

Recipe of the Week – Perfect Parmesan Parsnips

Shutterstock / Bartosz Luczak Shutterstock / Bartosz Luczak / Bartosz Luczak

Parsnips, as you know, are tough as old boots and I still have a decent batch in the ground outside in the veg patch. Here’s a great recipe for tarting them up a bit from Donal Skehan from the GIY cookbook GROW COOK EAT.

Ingredients

• 1kg of parsnips
• 3 tablespoons of wholemeal flour
• 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt
• 1 generous handful of Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200oC/390oF/Gas 6. Peel the parsnips, chop them in half and then slice them into four pieces. You may need to slice the chunks in half again depending on what size you want them.

Place the parsnips in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring the pot to the boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Rinse with a little cold water and drain the chunks in a colander.

Combine the flour, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Tumble the parsnips into the bowl and toss to coat. Place in a large roasting tray, sprinkle over the Parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Michael Kelly is founder of GIY and GROW HQ.

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