GARDENING COLUMNIST
Poppy Okotcha on what she’s planting out right now and how to get your soil primed for growing
May is the month of fertility, it is the height of spring and the start of summer. The 1st of May marks the Druid festival known as Beltane. It is said the Maiden Goddess blossoms, the Green Man falls in love with her, they make love and the May Queen becomes pregnant. I love tales like this that are used to understand and connect with the natural world. Indeed, all around us the bees are pollinating blossoms that will ripen into fertile fruits.
As tradition dictates, I bring in a branch of the delicate white May Tree (Hawthorn) blossom into the home to mark this festival. As a grower, this time of year can feel chaotic but you should let yourself ride the wave. Right now I’m sowing seeds like a mad thing. My plants seem to grow an inch a minute – blink and you’ll miss it.
My mints are growing faster than I can harvest. To encourage lots of fresh, bushy growth I gather from them regularly, cutting back about one-third of the size, snipping just above a set of leaves (deeply inhaling that lovely uplifting aroma as I go).
Around the house mint has been hung up to dry, thrown into salads and rice dishes. These are the days where I’m never without a cup of fresh mint tea. My favourite use for mint is to steep a few sprigs in a jug of water overnight, then drink with ice, honey and a pinch of salt in the late spring sunshine.
Many annual plants (those that grow, flower, set seed and die all in one year) started from seed earlier in the year are ready to be planted into the now-warmed soil. I’ve been planting out tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes and courgettes. These are all hungry plants that need plenty of moisture but hate being waterlogged. When I’m growing them in containers I give them well-rotted manure as their growing medium. Test your manure for herbicide contamination before committing your beloved plants to it.
When growing directly in the earth, if the soil is poor the plants will be poor. I’ve learnt from experience that pots do have their perks. In previous years I have grown hungry annuals in containers until I had cultivated a healthy living soil that was friable (the texture of moist chocolate cake crumbs), rich in organic matter and full of worms, and so capable of supporting abundant growth. To get your soil primed for growing, adding a layer of well-rotted manure and growing green manure, like buckwheat, field bean, clover or lupin, all of which will look beautiful while helping you build your soil, is a good starting point.
“My favourite use for mint is to steep a few sprigs in a jug of water overnight, then drink it with ice, honey and a pinch of salt”