Growing food in winter (December-February)
Our Greenhouse Manager, Fabrice Boltho, shows you what to plant in the winter months – and how to do it. Sign up to our growers mailing list for special updates from Fabrice.
Are you a local growing group? Collect free seedlings from us throughout the year.
Are you a local growing group? Collect free seedlings from us throughout the year.
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18 - 24 January
Growing ginger (part 1) Did you know there were different types of ginger? Lots of different types. |
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18 - 24 January
Growing ginger (part 2) Top tip: organic ginger is more likely to sprout because it hasn't been sprayed with sprout inhibitors. |
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18 - 24 January
Growing ginger (part 3) Top tip: when you're at the market, look out for ginger already starting to sprout – it'll save you hours of waiting. |
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18 - 24 January
Growing citrus fruits How to grow your own lemons, limes and oranges. You've heard of easy peel. Stick with Fabrice for easy grow. But make sure you get your fruit from the local market if you want to use the pips to grow your own. |
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25 - 31 January
Growing chillis Feeling the chill? No problem. It's time to bring out the chillis. Learn how to grow Scotch Bonnet and other varieties. |
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1 - 7 February
Harvesting your winter greens How are your Mizuna, Pak Choi or other winter greens looking? Hopefully very green. You planted these back in October – or around that time. Let's see how Fabrice's plants are doing. |
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1 - 7 February
Forcing winter roots Forcing is a neat gardening trick to get quick results. Watch Fabrice exaplin how to force fresh mint in just 6 weeks. You can also force cold winter roots like swedes and beet. |
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1 - 7 February
How to grow microgreens Growing microgreens like Radish leaf and sprouting pulses is another way of quickly getting green results in the winter. But where do you get the seed from? And how close together should you sprinkle them? Fabrice reveals all. |
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8 - 14 February
Plant the right strawberries It might seem berry silly to be thinking of summer fruits right now. But seriously, this is the time to get planting. But be careful, as Fabrice explains in this video, some varieties don't flower in their first year. |
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8 - 14 February
Early rhubarb We're not far off rhubarb season. But the clever grower will still get their crumble quicker. Watch Fabrice turn a bucket into growing tip that will give you sweet shoots a few weeks early. |
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15 - 21 February
Chop-chop with the herbs That's right. The sooner you plant them, the bigger they will get and the earlier they will grow. See the daylight yet? As we approach mid-February, we're getting much more light. Plants will grow faster. Though it's best to start these herbs off indoors for the first month. |
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15 - 21 February
Get your finger on the pulses Peas and beans don't just give you muscle, they have a fair bit of it themselves. These hardy crops grow early in the year. Stick the beans straight in the ground, an inch deep. Pop the peas in modules. Sow them inside for a couple of weeks first. |
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15 - 21 February
Rocket matters Spice up your salads with a good crop of peppery rocket in as little as 6 weeks. It's one of the easiest things to grow. Scatter the seeds densely on a patch of ground, pot or window box. This coming week is perfect timing, as we're about to get some mild winter weather in London. |
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22 - 28 February
One potato, two potatoes... Fabrice goes more than skin-deep in this potato-planting masterclass. Learn about 3 different varieties – the quick growing Fast Early and Nicola potatoes, and the main crop potato called Cara. |
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22 - 28 February
Potato chit chat Don't make a hash of growing potatoes. Remember to chit them first. Chitting potatoes means getting them to sprout before planting them. Fabrice tells you how to do it properly – and he even reveals how to spot the 'belly button' at the bottom of a potato. |