COLUMN: Taking advantage of windowsills in the run-up to spring

​Hopefully you have not been put off by the horrible weather and you have set your thoughts on starting off your 2025 garden.

There is plenty you can do inside still whilst waiting for the warmer weather. Windowsill gardening is my favourite thing at this time of year. At the moment I am growing peas (edible peas) in peat pots on the windowsill. I started these off in a jam jar of water and left them until they were sprouting. As they don’t like having their roots disturbed, I transferred them into small peat pots where they will happily grow until it is time to transplant them.

Also on my windowsill at the moment are tomatoes, spring onions, red pepper, courgettes and basil. I haven’t grown basil from seed before so I will let you know how that goes. It is an interesting one as you sow the seeds directly into the pot they will grow on in, no need to repot. The seeds are quite small so make sure you carefully sprinkle them evenly on the soil so you don’t get big clumps and gaps when they sprout up. Water, cover with a thin layer of compost then cover with cling film and leave out in a warm sunny spot. Tomatoes and courgettes like to sprout in a warm dark space so I leave them on top of my boiler, again covered in cling film.

Keep checking in on them though as they can sprout very quickly and if you don’t get light to them fast enough they might go a bit leggy. The spring onions and red pepper seeds are fine to germinate in a warm, bright spot so they can go next to the basil.

I am also looking at filling the garden with something simple, fairly robust, that doesn’t need a lot of attention and will attract the bees and butterflies. I have chosen verbena bonariensis, which is a beautiful, tall (can get up to 2m), structural hardy perennial with stunning lavender coloured flowers. As the fully grown plants are quite expensive in the garden centre, I am having a go at growing from seed. These need warmth and light to germinate so again, a good one for the windowsill. If you have a greenhouse then they will be fine in there, but I would recommend a heat mat if you can get one, just to protect against the chilly nights.

If you are desperate for a bit of instant colour, you can’t go wrong with a few bright primroses.

We are also seeing sprouting bulbs in the shops such as hyacinths, and daffodils which you can plant straight into a tub and enjoy.

See you next month when we will check in again with our seedlings and start to plant some seeds directly into the soil.