Hello 2025!

Newsings and musings from Plot 37.

First up, a bit of housekeeping.

New Format, we are going all Substack!

You may notice this newsletter is in a slightly different format from my previous (some what er… sporadic) ones. Namely we have migrated to Substack. That shouldn’t make a difference to the reading experience but it will make an enormous difference from a writing/sending perspective! If you are receiving this email, you have previously signed up to my newsletters but if you’d like to back out now, there is an unsubscribe button at the bottom. The news letter will be monthly at most, and cover whats been going on, any big things coming up and some monthly thoughts. The last thing i want to do is add to your Junk and Spam.

But if you are interested…

Holy Smoke, its January. And that means its all about to start again!

I remember when Steve died (the wonderful Mr Green Side Up), the words of Audrey Hepburn; ‘To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow’ floated around my head incessantly for days. They struck me hard then, thinking of the parsnips he had sown but would never dig up, the soil he had prepped for the coming spring that never came for him. And those words have stuck with me since, the depth of their truth has just grown sharper. That nothing we do in the garden is for today, or nearly nothing. The pleasure of picking bundles of Dahlias or pulling carrots feels pretty immediate but they too are the result of trusting in today, yesterday.

It feels particularly resonant around these dark months, when its frozen solid outside and the gloom hits in mid afternoon that we, intrepid little tomorrow-faithful dig out our dreams of the summer. In these hibernal months, we sow Chillies and Aubergines, Cucumbers and Onions with the conviction of an evangelist that 4, 5, 8 months down the line we will see the fruit of what we do now. I think its an underlying, subtle way of thinking that unites all growers in some way; and I think its beautiful.

So, with our flashing neon ‘Tomorrow, this way’ arrows firmly in place… what can we start sowing now?

YouTube Happenings:

Chillies! In the first VLOG of the year, i got the Chillies started. I’m normally a no fuss gardener but to make starting them this early, successful, you do need a bit of kit.

I use this Heat Matt: HERE

And these lights: HERE

And these are the chillies i’ve started off so far -

ɞ Orange Habanero - HERE

ɞ Lemon Aji - HERE

ɞ Aroma Habanero - HERE

ɞ Sugar Rush Peach - HERE

ɞ SRP Stripy - HERE

If you haven’t seen the video yet its here:

(Timestamp for Chilli Sowing is 27:59)

And for the controversial one:

Cucumbers!

Yes, if you have the space to grow cucumbers inside in a heated spot, a conservatory or sunny window ledge at home then my overwhelming advice would be: Do it!

Sowing small fruiting varieties now, for growing in the warmth will give you cucumbers to pick in April. Just as we are starting off the seed for plants that will live their lives in unheated greenhouses or even outdoors.

Some varieties that are good for this early sowing are:

Socrates: HERE

Honey Crunch: HERE

Merlin: HERE

But there are many more out there. Just look for small ‘lunchbox’ sized, self fertile or all female varieties and have a go at Cucumber gun-jumping!

For more things to sow in January, I made this video last year. Its pre-mic days and so the sound is a tad dodgy but the info is all there:

Coming Up over the next Month:

We will be working our way though the January/February list in the coming months. I have my spring onions and leeks ready for this week. I will be sowing…

Chefs White Leeks: HERE

Ishikura Spring Onions: HERE

And Red Baron Onion: HERE

… in this coming Vlog if you’d like to join me!

There will be a recipe this month. I know, AT LONG LAST!

The Kitchen isn’t quite finished but its usable and so its time to get cooking again. I have been experimenting quite a bit so there is lots to share. We currently have Cavolo Nero, Cima di Rappa, Komatusna, Turnips, Beetroot, Mustard Greens, Savoy Cabbage and Tenderstem Broccoli to play with so lots of things to do and eat :D

Upload Schedule:

No change for the Vlog, its been a Tuesday afternoon (4.30pm) upload since the very first one back in the depths of 2020. Its on a Monday for Patreon Supporters of the channel. If you’re interested in joining them in The Monday Club you can sign up here - || PATREON: http://www.patreon.com/plot37

Recipe uploads will be sporadic. I will upload them as and when i film them which will probably mess up my YouTube analytics but hey ho! And i will do a round up at the end of the month via this newsletter for anyone thats missed them.

And on that note Chaps, its Happy New Year from Me, Mum, Lil, Halley and The Girlies. Hope you’re as excited about this coming year as i am!

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