Your green Christmas

September, let the skins dry in the sun for a few

hours, then store the best in hessian or paper
sacks, somewhere frost-free, till Christmas.
Now is also your chance to start growing your
own Christmassy condiments, as winter is the
season to order bare-root fruit. Redcurrants are
prolific, though protect berries from birds: one
bush supplies more than enough redcurrant jelly
for the Christmas turkey. If cranberry sauce is
your thing, you can grow a cranberry bush in a
large pot filled with peat-free ericaceous
compost – just make sure you keep it really well
watered. Alternatively, make a cranberry bed:
dig a trench about 30cm deep and 1.2m wide,
line with polythene (punctured for drainage) and
fill with peat-free ericaceous compost before
planting bushes 90cm apart.
You can also order evergreen Christmas
herbs, including sage, rosemary and thyme,
to plant in spring in a sunny spot (they’re also
happy in containers). Sow parsley in June;
moss-curled varieties stay green all winter.
Once your seeds arrive, don’t be too quick to
sow them: the normal rush in spring is too soon,
as crops sown in March reach maturity by
midsummer and are all over by Christmas.
Start parsnips in April, as well as leeks and
maincrop potatoes. Wait till May to sow winter
brassicas, including red cabbage, Savoy
cabbage, kale and sprouts, as well as slow-
growing swedes. Cover them with insect-proof
mesh to keep butterflies and pigeons at bay.
Then in summer, carrots, turnips and beetroot
go in. With luck and a sprinkle of Christmas magic,
it’ll all come together in time for the big day.
See overleaf for tips on harvesting your feast 

TOP Mulch your LEFT Sow leek seeds

cranberries with in a tray and plant
pine needles or out when about 15cm
low-alkaline sand. tall BELOW Sage is
They need a high very hardy and
acid soil to thrive will tolerate frosts
PHOTOS: GETTY/MPS197, RIJKE; JASON INGRAM

December 2020 gardenersworld.com 93