Sustain • London Food Link • Articles
Growers Corners - Spring
With the days getting longer we check in with Chris Murphy, Capital Growth’s head grower at our showcase allotment gardens in the Royal Parks, to get some top tips for the season.
Leafy green fix
Salad leaves can be grown easily in small containers or window boxes. There’s a huge variety of seeds available at a fraction of the cost of buying supermarket salad bags. Try staggering sowings every few weeks to ensure a steady supply of fresh, healthy greens.
Keep on turning
The compost heap should take centre stage in any growing space. As summer approaches, it’s a good idea to give the pile a turn to aid aeration and decomposition. During hot spells it’s helpful to water your compost to keep it from drying out.
Please the bees
Always grow plenty of pollinator friendly flowers with your vegetables. As well as helping to produce a bumper crop, many varieties (e.g. zinnias, cosmos and nigella) make great cut flowers for you to enjoy or give to friends and family.
Grow up
If you’re running out of room, experiment with vertical growing. Sprawling squash plants can easily take over a bed but many smaller varieties can be trained up fences or trellises allowing you to grow more in a small space. Lengths of gutter fixed to a south facing wall can be used for growing annual herbs like basil and coriander.
Check out other spring top tips
Want to learn more? Try Capital Growth's workshops for new and experienced growers. Discount for London Food Link supporters.
Published Thursday 14 April 2022
London Food Link: London Food Link brings together community food enterprises and projects that are working to make good food accessible to everyone in London to help create a healthy, sustainable and ethical food system for all.