Grow tasty windowsill greens

Sow seeds now for fast, fresh, leafy goodness

Cold and frosty outside? Still want to have some handy veg available for the kitchen? Well, why not use your little makeshift greenhouses – also known as your indoor windowsills – as a home for trays of tasty greens over the coming season?

There are microgreens, which are simply the baby shoots of larger plants such as peas and sweetcorn, and are perfect for a little flavour of the larger vegetable in your cooking, but grown in a smaller space. These can be harvested quickly, and then more seed sown again in quick succession. You can also grow all sorts of herbs and salads, which only need a mini trough or small pots to thrive. The cut-and-come-again nature of these plants means you’ve always got a leafy display on show, returning again and again until the plants are spent.

The key is to have nice, sunny windowsills, so plants are relatively warm and get lots of light. Should seedlings get leggy and start leaning a particular way, turn them around to re-orientate them and strengthen them up. Keep plants lightly moist at all times. If you have the room, try a whole range of greenery, which will also make for a pleasing display. Rocket is quick and easy, as is cress, mustard, kale shoots and beansprouts. Happy winter gardening!