Try growing your own greens as Med freezes

ACOUPLE of weeks ago, I was shovelling dead stalks and stems into the compost bin when the phone in my pocket bleeped. It was a photograph of my friend Aileen’s garden covered in a blanket of snow.

Nothing unusual about that, you may say, we are still in the grip of winter. Except that she lives in Spain.

Her part of south east Spain is Europe’s market garden. Around 80% of all green vegetables sold in our supermarkets during the winter months come from the area around Murcia, so if you were wondering why the price of a lettuce had doubled and courgettes have all but disappeared from the shelves, then blame the temperatures that have struck the Mediterranean.

The photographs of frozen swimming pools and snowmen on the beach galvanised me into action. I dug out some of my smallest trays and started sowing a selection of mini greens. There’s not much I can do at this time of year to conjure up cucumbers, courgettes or peppers, but leaves are definitely do-able from February onwards.

You will need some protection, whether that’s a cold frame, greenhouse or even a windowsill, but once you’ve got that sorted you can go ahead and sow radishes, rocket, pea shoots, mustards and Japanese greens, which are all fast-growing and tasty.

The secret is to snip off the leaves when they are still small and sweet. You should get a second regrowth from each tray and with successive sowings, you’ll have a steady supply of fresh leaves regardless of whether or not icebergs are floating in the Mediterranean. There’s no doubt that the climate is a bit wonky. Last year was the

warmest on record and in my garden the temperature in recent weeks has fluctuated between zero and 10C. Plants that need a sustained period of winter dormancy can be upset by these rapid changes and so too can insects.

“There’s a wasp in the living room,” my seven-year-old announced. And, sure enough, there it was, lying dead on the carpet. This was a queen, fooled into thinking it was spring by an upward hike in temperature and then struck by a flying Lego brick.

All sorts of hazards lie in wait for insects that come out of hibernation too early with cold temperatures and a lack of food sources being the main threats. Plants too that rush into growth are liable to be checked by frost once the temperature drops again.

As it was I made the most of the mild spell, scrubbing paths and cutting back the last of the old growth, sorting out flower pots and removing dead leaves from the perennials grown from seed last year and which will be planted out in April.

For a brief moment at least everything feels in good order and I’m ready for the start of the new season, although that will probably announce its arrival with a heavy fall of snow.