Which Seeds To Sow In March?
I made an edible rockery around the pond last year with a variety of salad leaves, herbs and flowers. It looked stunning and there is a real sense of self achievement and wholesomeness deep in your core, when you can nip to the garden for your lemon balm tea, fresh mint to season your peas or basil to throw into one of my ‘banging’ pesto recipes!
So, which seeds should you be planting now?
Aubergines, Chillies & Tomato
These all need a long season so best start growing them early, initially sow the seeds in a greenhouse or under glass such as on the window ledge.
Beetroots
Beets germinate best at lower temperatures so plant outdoors early spring and pick when they are roughly golf ball size.
Broad Beans
Sow directly outside and enjoy all summer long!
Swiss Chard
Sow outdoors in sunny or partially shaded spots.
Salad Leaves
Start germinating them indoors under glass in either a greenhouse or on the window ledges. There is nothing nicer than really crispy fresh leaves licked from the garden that day!
Herbs – plant directly into the soil.
Herbs all have their own specific benefits and distinct taste for cooking with.
Basil - use on insect bites as an antibacterial, helpful in removing phlegm from the bronchioles in the lungs, found useful to reduce asthmatic symptoms, fights infections, supports heart health by lowering blood pressure, boosts the immune system through polyphenols and strengthens bone through high levels of Vitamin K. Basil is a powerful adaptogen that balances our stress hormones to promote calmness, it contains plenty of antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress and ageing on our bodies. It alkalises our systems to maintain correct pH levels for optimum health and is high in magnesium for blood sugar balance and heart health, it’s also needed for rest and repair to take place in the body, mind and nervous system. Use as an insect repellent in the garden to avoid your plants being eaten.
Lemon Balm – refer to my recent post on lemon balm for benefits and uses.
Mint – helps with most digestive issues, calms the stomach lining and in turn helps to calm the nervous system. Useful with busy people who struggle to sit and eat slowly and consciously or for those that feel quite ‘on edge’ and need to calm their thoughts. Mint is useful for opening and relaxing airways, research has found it useful to aid breathing with people who are congested.
Dill - Useful in reducing colic, trapped wind type symptoms and is great to aid digestion. You can steep dill in hot water, or with the added benefits of camomile, allow it to cool and give small amounts (1-2tsp) to babies suffering with colic just before it is due for a feed. Dill has a calming effect on the stomach lining and can be helpful as a mild laxative also.
Coriander – lowers blood pressure, rich in antioxidants and anti inflammatory properties which been to improve memory and support brain health. Studies are researching the effects coriander has on those suffering with Alzheimer’s, early onset dementia and other inflammatory linked brain ailments such as Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis. I use coriander lots in our monthly Reset and Restore for its metal chelating properties. It really helps draw toxins from the liver and into the digestive tract to be safely exited the body!
Borage – the flowers are edible and beautiful in salads, they really add a WOW factor to your dishes! Both the flowers and leaves help to increase urine flow and promote sweating so supports the lymphatic system. It calms the nervous system and is a mild sedative. It has been found useful in ADHD, depression, respiratory distress disorders and inflammatory related issues such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and PMS. It can also be used to increase breast milk production and as oil can be used safely on infants skin to support dermatitis, eczema type skin conditions.