This is not a post about walking.
I haven't been doing much walking. None of us have.
I've mostly been spending my lockdown time working from home, playing PS4, learning the ukulele (again) and planning my veg garden.
That's not a euphemism. I grow flowers and veg every year in the containers on my terrace. Actual, edible veg. Last year it was courgettes and chillies. The year before I grew tomatoes and peas. This year I've gone totally nuts and bought all of the seeds in the world to keep me busy throughout lockdown.
And though I've done it for a few years now, I would still consider myself a complete novice. I certainly don't know any Latin names.
I've learnt many things from my green-fingered Mum, who produces crops of runner beans and tomatoes every year that could feed her entire street. One of my favourite events in the yearly calendar is the spring visit to the garden centre with her, buying up baby plants and compost for both of us and then preparing the pots. I'm really going to miss that this year.
Instead, I've really got into Gardener's World (I find watching Monty Don and his retrievers pottering about in his vast garden incredibly cathartic). I love Gardener's Question Time too. At what point in life should this happen? Have I peaked too soon? Is 35 a normal age for this?
Whatever ... it's incredibly satisfying and a little bit magical to plant a seed and a few days later see a tiny seedling popping up out of the soil. And it's even more satisfying to eat something you've grown yourself.
So, here are some basic ideas for the uninitiated, to get you started. Don't rely on them though. I'm not great at this either and am just going by my own experiences. I do not consider myself in any way an expert, but an uphill struggler of the gardening world. I just want you to see how easy it can be. You don't have to be Monty Don.
For more detailed instructions on how to grow certain plants, look it up on Youtube. Or buy a book.
1. Planning
Planning is important if you are short on space and need to grow veg in containers.
Think about what you'd like to grow. What are your veg (and flower) goals?
Perhaps you want to look out of the window at something other than a dank basement courtyard? So buy some colourful flowers and choose plants that don't mind the shade (ferns are perfect).
Here's Pete posing for a photo a few years back when we lived in a basement. He's not really posing - he was on the phone to Virgin Media complaining about something. I just thought he looked photogenic. I stand by that even now.
Our courtyard out front was pretty dismal (and briefly rat-infested). When spring arrived I bought some plants to cheer it up. The purple flowers up the steps were not planted by me, they are campanula (you can buy them in Wilko very cheaply) and they were hardy enough to grow out of the cracks in our stone steps. They also look nice in a hanging basket: a good beginner's plant.
(note: if you ever read that planting mint deters rats, this is utter bollocks. I planted some mint in our courtyard and found the rat on its hind legs sniffing at it)
You'll need pots too if you don't have a proper garden. Not just for the soil, but so you can move them around easily to catch the sun at different times of day. This is especially true for a garden or yard that doesn't get much light.
Or perhaps you live up high and your balcony could use some colour? How about a hanging basket or a climbing plant? There are plenty of dangly fruits (!), like strawberries, that would look lovely on a balcony.
If you fancy some climbing flowers with a glorious scent, choose honeysuckle. Not only is it pretty, it smells utterly divine.
Even if all you have is a windowsill, you can still grow herbs and green leafy veggies or salad leaves.
After you've decided what you want to grow, do a bit of research on what those specific plants need. A lot of plants don't need much: compost, light, occasional water, space, a bit of food, a bit of warmth to start them off. Some need more care than others.
Start planning in winter so that, come spring, you have all the equipment, seeds and knowhow you need to start planting.
2. Some basic equipment
The equipment you need depends on what you want to grow.
But you'll definitely need seeds (or baby plants from the garden centre), compost, containers, a watering can and plant food. You might also need a few simple garden tools like secateurs (or good strong scissors), some gloves to protect your hands and maybe a trowel (you could use a child's spade or a big spoon).
Your pots should be the right size for your plants and they should have drainage holes. If they don't, make some in the bottom (obviously put this on a tray, plate or another pot if it's going to be inside or you'll end up with a serious mess).
Be creative with your pots and containers. They don't need to be specialised. A bucket with a hole drilled in the bottom, a drainpipe cut in half lengthways, or a hessian sack can all make good containers, according to Monty Don. As long as it can hold soil and drain off water, it's good.
As for compost, there's about 30million different types of compost out there. Some are made for specific plants like roses, but I really don't understand enough about gardening to worry too much about this. I just go for multi-purpose compost for everything right now and so far it hasn't caused issues (even with my roses). A pro could tell me the differences, especially the importance of peat for certain plants, but as long as my flowers and veg grow to a standard level, I'm happy.
This year I've accidentally bought multi-purpose compost with John Innes. That's the name of some kind of fertiliser, not a guy I went compost shopping with. There's also a John Innes 2 and a John Innes 3. It's quite the trilogy, almost as good as Die Hard.
It's a loamy compost and apparently contains peat. According to the website I was doing my research on, "Peat composes slowly into humus". I'll get the Doritos out.
(that felt like a dad joke, sorry)
And you can't really get away with not using compost, it's full of carefully balanced nutrients to get your plants off to a good start. Digging up soil from the ground for your pots may not do the trick if it isn't healthy enough. A lot of research goes into compost recipes, just ask John.
3. Planting and transplanting
Again, make sure you read the instructions for planting and watering on your seed packet. I tend to sow many of my seeds - tomatoes, courgette, spinach, peas - indoors first. That way, they are warm and safe from the wildlife in my garden until they are big enough to fend for themselves.
This is the current mood of my indoor seedlings... they are super cute.
Don't forget to label things. I've made that mistake before and had no clue what was growing where.
Once the seedlings in the picture above are big enough (as big as I would buy in the garden centre) I have plans to transplant them in large pots the garden.
I'm going to do this gradually and during warm weather to make the transition less stressful ... for them and for me. Then it's just a case of watering, occasionally feeding and watching them grow.
4. Watering
I feel that there is definitely an art to watering plants grown in containers and I have not mastered it, yet they still grow.
Don't forget that plants in the ground have a lot of horizontal and vertical space to draw up their water. Plants in containers only have the soil you've given them and the water in their container. So keep it moist.
This is why drainage is so important. I err too much on the overwatering end of the spectrum and end up killing things if I haven't provided them with proper drainage. A terracotta (clay) pot is best for this because water drains far more easily than a plastic pot, even if both have holes drilled in the bottom.
Seedlings grown inside may dry out quicker if you have the heating on in early April so keep a close eye on them, and don't put them in a draft. They are babies after all. Plant babies. You wouldn't put you baby in a draft.
Occasionally you'll need to add some feed to your watering. How often depends on the plant, but again, the instructions that come with the feed will help you out.
If things go tits up, I urge you not to be put off trying again but instead to experiment and keep researching online. You might kill a few things. But eventually, you'll get used to knowing when your plant needs water and when it doesn't and you'll become more attuned to things like the weather forecast and the temperature outside - a nice bit of mindfulness thrown in for good measure.
4. Enjoy your container garden
This is the most important part, right?
Don't get stressed about whether you'll produce anything edible. Just enjoy watching things grow and marvel at how they do it.
Last year I grew courgettes and I could not believe how gigantic the courgette plant was. I put it in a huge container that I usually reserve for peas, and it certainly made the most of it. Beautiful, alien-like yellow flowers opened up and the edible courgette followed close behind.
The plant produced very small courgettes, which would start to rot at the bottom if I didn't harvest them quickly but really it was the plant itself that gave me the most joy. I'm looking forward to trying again this year now I've done a bit more research on how to stop the rot ...
The previous year I harvested a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes and chillies after my tomato plant grew wildly out of control. It's amazing watching the plant flower, then the tomato emerges from the centre of each flower. Beautiful.
I only put my chilli plant, who I named Ignacio Caliente, out on very hot days but seeing his fruits turn from green to red was magic.
And there is nothing more delicious than a fresh pea picked straight out of the pod and eaten raw. And I'm a self-confessed chocoholic.
There is also something magical about the way that peas grow. They produce these thin tendrils that curl and spin round and round until they latch on to something to climb. The same goes for beans. This is why you need to give peas and beans a framework to climb, either a railing, or a wigwam made from bamboo canes will do.
So whatever space you have, I highly recommend starting a container garden. It's so important to get outside and connect with nature right now in whatever way we can. And this is such a good way to do it. It gives you an appreciation for so much that we take for granted - not only the food that we eat (and how hard it can be to grow) but also the magic of nature and its ability to create something beautiful from the tiniest beginning (ugh, corny but true).
You're likely to get hooked.
If you want more tips, check out the @acai_activewear Insta account and their blog for more tips: https://acaiactivewear.com/blogs/acai-blog/start-your-own-veg-patch