Springing to life: Start your windowsill nursery now!

By March, garden lovers can hardly wait to finally fill the vegetable patch with life again, after the long winter break.

For many plants it is still too early to sow them outdoors, especially with our late arrival of winter! Nevertheless, there is a lot to do in early spring. Now is the ideal time to grow seedlings for vegetables or herbs.

Days are long enough with sufficient light in spring, that the first sowings can certainly start on the windowsill. Above all, heat-loving vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers or aubergines are recommended for pre-cultivation indoors.

Most herbs will still need 6 to 8 hours of daylight if being grown indoors however, and can be planted outdoors as soon as the risk of the last frost has passed. Which, unfortunately is not yet.

Indoor seeding requires four basic things: pots, soil, seeds and water. Add light and heat, and the green nursery is complete. From around May, this can be replaced with a sunny spot in the fresh air.