Terry Walton has onions, garlic and broad beans underway
And my plot will soon be feeding me onions, garlic and broad beans
Another ‘startling’ fact has been revealed by the science community – that eating good, wholesome vegetables is good for you! A study shows that gardeners who grow their own crops and eat them fresh look and behave younger than those who don’t, and appear much younger than their age. The most effective vegetable is the carrot, as this has a desirable effect on skin texture and makes it more youthful. This brightly-coloured vegetable has high antioxidants and its colouring gives the skin that healthy ‘glowing’ appearance.
I’ve always loved carrots and they’re my favourite vegetable for snacking on while working on the allotment. They’re available for me to harvest fresh on my plot for about eight months of the year and I regularly pull one to eat as I work away. I swill it in the fresh mountain water and it’s eaten in minutes – and believe it or not I look 16 again!
You don’t need to convince the gardening fraternity that gardening keeps them youthful. But it’s not only the fresh food but the effects of the open air, gentle exercise and friendly companionship that are important factors in our well being.
The plot doesn’t look completely barren as there are the rapidly emptying patches of winter crops, but most exciting of all are the green shoots of recovery. Yes, the winter onions and garlic have put in an appearance! Breaking the surface of the soil are spiky green shoots, as these early birds give a lift to gloomy January days. The signs of improving times are also evident in my warm greenhouse, where the cabbage and lettuce seeds have germinated. These are joined by onion seedlings, so I’m on my way to a new growing season.
As the month progresses every week brings another sowing experience. This week it’s the turn of broad beans to begin their growing regime. I’m sowing two varieties, the first being ‘Express’. This variety is aptly named as it’s fast growing and an early cropper, with plump pods containing five or six beans, which have excellent
flavour. My other variety is ‘Karmazyn’, which produces pink beans. It also crops well and gives a colourful addition to the dinner plate. To ensure good germination of these beans I half fill two freezer bags with moist compost, which will just bond together when squeezed, before tipping in the contents of the packet. The bags are then topped up with more moist compost and the beans mixed in well. These are kept in my computer room at about 20C (68F) until little white ‘tails’ emerge from them, then they can be potted on. I’ve found this method of germination gives 100 per cent success. The secret is not too wet and a little heat!