Basil flowering on my windowsill in the winter.
By December it’s definitely cold enough that you need to start thinking about protecting delicate plants. In more northerly areas, or if you get an early frost in southern areas, you might need to do this earlier – keep an eye on the weather forecast if you have very delicate plants such as citrus trees. There’s not that much growing, but any autumn greens you sowed in October should be producing, as should some hardy herbs and lettuces. There’s also chickweed if you care to try a bit of urban foraging! And, of course, the end of December means Christmas, when you may be able to use a few herbs from your pots.
My Balcony at the Start of December
Plants still alive and growing:
Herbs: rosemary, thyme, bay, oregano, chives, and parsley (both flat and curly). All but the rosemary and thyme are in a cold frame. One basil plant surviving on an inside windowsill.
Salad vegetables on the railing: sorrel, bronze arrowhead lettuce, rocket.
Salad vegetables in the smaller cold frame: bronze arrowhead lettuce, rocket.
Some slightly pathetic-looking pak choi.
Seeds and cuttings:
Several pots with broad bean and pea seeds in. Still no sign of life.
Four sprigs of mint, planted in late October; two looking healthy, two less healthy.
Miscellaneous other:
Pots all tidied up and last year’s plants put in the compost.
Things to Do in December
Protecting Plants from the Cold
By December in the UK, there’s not that much daylight (and what there is fairly weak), and it’s getting pretty cold. Most of your annuals will have had it by now, and if you haven’t taken cold-sensitive plants (such as basil) inside already it may be too late.
Basil flowering on my windowsill in the winter.
Basil, like other cold-sensitive herbs, will live through the winter on an inside windowsill, but it won’t look very happy, and you won’t get much (if any) basil for cooking over the winter. The aim is just to keep it alive until the weather warms up again, when you may get a few more leaves before it goes to seed, while you’re waiting for the spring sowing to get going. The same is true for other cold-sensitive plants, which are often grown as annuals in the UK, such as peppers. In theory, some of these plants can be grown as perennials, if you keep them warm enough. You’re unlikely to get even leafy plants to crop (obviously fruit bearing plants will not produce fruit until the next flowering season), but if you can keep them alive, they’ll get going faster in the spring than if you have to restart from seed. I’ve been able to keep pepper and chilli plants alive over the winter this way, and got a head start on fruiting the next season as a result.
Some cold-sensitive plants that are too large to move indoors can still be nursed through the winter if you’re lucky and take a few precautions, particularly if your space is south-facing and/or sheltered. For some plants, a cold frame may be sufficient. For plants too large for a cold frame, or which need more protection than that, you’ll need to apply further insulation to help them make it through the cold weather.
When you grow a plant in the ground, rather than in a pot, its roots are underground, surrounded by a lot of earth in all but one direction (upwards), and able to burrow downwards away from the surface if need be. Earth holds heat reasonably well, and the upper layers of earth insulate the lower layers. Over the course of a long cold winter, the earth will slowly freeze from the surface downwards, but in the southern UK cold spells rarely last long enough for this to be very deep. Even in the northern UK (except in the very highest parts), ground frost averages only 17-19 days in December and January, meaning that frost won’t penetrate too deeply. So for a plant which is rooted in the ground, the earth itself will protect the plant’s roots, and the plant can root itself as deeply as it needs (within its own limitations). In a pot, there’s no such protection, and the roots can’t go anywhere to get away from the cold. So the first step is to insulate the pot.
Put your delicate plant in the warmest and sunniest corner you have, then wrap its pot in bubblewrap (or garden fleece if you don’t mind spending the money on it), and cover the earth around the plant with fabric underneath a layer of insulation (more bubblewrap or fleece). Make sure that the fabric is gathered up around the trunk of the plant, between the trunk and the insulating material. This prevents moisture from collecting around the trunk of the plant when you water, potentially rotting it. You can also put a little gravel around the trunk of the plant to protect it further.
It’s important to make sure that the drainage of the pot is good, to avoid roots rotting (good drainage is of course important at any time of year, but you can get away with poor drainage when it’s hot where you can’t when it’s cold), and water minimally over the winter. Drainage and moisture issues are less of a problem if you have an area (as I do) where rain won’t fall on the pots.
The trunk of tree-like plants may also need to be protected if it’s going to be really cold. You can use bubblewrap for this as well, but, again, you need to use a fabric wrap underneath, to avoid moisture collecting underneath the plastic. Alternatively, you can use straw and chicken wire. Push the chicken wire into the pot about 5cm from the trunk all around, then fill the gap tightly with straw. You can do a similar thing on the cheap with a cardboard box taped into a tube and leaves or straw (or even shredded paper) packed around the trunk. Using straw or paper like this means that the wrapping is breathable as well as protective, which avoids potential moisture problems. You can also get commercial products to do the same job.
Some even more delicate plants may benefit from having the whole plant, up to the crown, insulated. This will depend on how cold your particular microclimate gets, and how robust the plant is. You can use exactly the same techniques to protect as much of the plant as you want.
I have a satsuma tree which isn’t cold-hardy, and got it through a winter with several snowfalls by wrapping pot, earth, and trunk in bubblewrap; so this technique can be very successful.
Plants that don’t need cold protection
Of course, not all plants are cold-sensitive. In southern England, rocket, lettuce and sorrel all have a good chance of coping with cold weather, and may even keep growing. The rocket and bronze arrowhead lettuce on the edge of my balcony kept on growing sufficiently for me to harvest leaves, albeit only a few, right through a fortnight of snow. Chard and kale are both cold-hardy too, although chard leaves can get a little tough in the winter.
As discussed in the previous chapter, rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, oregano, and chives will all survive the winter, as will bay trees, although you may not be able to crop all of them throughout the season. A cold frame will help maximise your winter herb production.
Overwintered rocket and bronze arrowhead lettuce in an outside trough in February, still looking very healthy.
Even for the plants that are happy outside a cold frame, if you have space to move them into one, you’re much more likely to get some new growth (slower than in the summer, but still there) through the winter. However, you still need to be careful about how much you take at any one time. Keep an eye on how the plant is doing, and take a little at a time. Similarly, lettuce and rocket will do well in a cold frame and will grow more prolifically than their unprotected counterparts.
The best bet, really (and this is something I will be saying throughout this book) is to experiment. Leave one of your parsley seedlings outside, put the other in the cold frame. (If you only have one parsley plant right now, don’t worry; wait till it seeds itself next year and you’ll have thousands of them.) See which one does best, or if there’s an important difference at all. The same approach is good with other plants, too. Check whether it needs protecting to survive the winter at all, and then see where it does best. Make sure you keep some kind of record somewhere, or you’ll have to do it all over again the next year. This approach helps you to get to know how your own space works and what is the best thing for you to do in your conditions. I can make recommendations here, but all spaces and locations are different, and the best way to make the most of your space is to try things out and see what works and what doesn’t work.
The most important point for all your plants is: don’t forget to water them. They won’t need too much water when it’s cold (so check the soil surface and don’t over-water either), but if forgotten entirely they will dry out and die. (This has happened to me, one winter when I was away and no one else remembered to water anything.) One advantage of having lettuce and rocket growing through the winter is that you’ll be reminded to water when you go out to pick some to eat. If your space is open to rain then you are much less likely to need to worry about this, but with the odd weather we’ve had over the last few years, you may get surprisingly dry spells in October or November.
Foraging
Chickweed
One of the approaches that permaculture teaches is to consider other spaces around you and how they can be productive. I’ll talk about foraging in various places in this book.
Chickweed is a godsend in winter, and you’ll almost certainly be able to locate some. It’s an excellent source of vitamins A, C, D, and B complex, as well as minerals including iron, calcium, potassium, and zinc. It’s nice raw, as a salad leaf, or you can cook it in the same way that you would a spinach.
Chickweed growing on the grass near my flat in January.
It’s a very prolific weed that you’ll find in neglected flower beds, on vacant lots, on grass, and possibly in parks. It grows in open areas, but also does well in partially shaded ones, such as at the base of trees, and does best anywhere that’s cool and damp. As with most weed species, it thrives on disturbed soil. It may even establish itself in your own pots and containers. While it grows all year round, it does best when other, taller, plants aren’t shading it out altogether – which tends to mean in late autumn and early spring, and during the winter when it’s not actually snowing. It grows right through the winter – I harvested chickweed in January when writing this book.
It can be identified by its very low, branching habit, and by its leaves, which grow in opposed pairs, with a length of bare stalk between each pair of leaves. If it’s flowering, you’ll see tiny white flowers right at the top. When harvesting, snip off the leafy tops and leave the lower stalks, which get a bit tough. The harvesting will encourage more growth, so you can come back in a bit to get another harvest. Definitely avoid pulling it up by the roots, or you won’t be able to come back for more another time. And as always, never take so much that you damage the plant.
Be aware that chickweed picked from public spaces will definitely need to be washed, and consider the likely paths of both animals and humans across the area you’re picking from. Avoid picking wild plants from next to busy roads, as they’ll have soaked up plenty of pollution.
Eating chickweed
Chickweed is nice as a green salad leaf, with a very clean, ‘green’ taste. Add it to your cultivated winter lettuce and rocket salads. You can also cook it like spinach (perhaps with dandelion leaves, when it comes to the spring; winter dandelion leaves are too tough to be worth eating, although now is a great time to harvest dandelion roots).
I made a very nice vegan chickweed pesto recipe this year. If you’re not vegan, you could put a decent-size lump of Parmesan cheese in to replace the nutritional yeast.
I found that this worked well on pasta, but I also enjoyed it on crackers for the next few days as a mid-morning snack.
VEGAN CHICKWEED PESTO
Ingredients:
Handful of pine nuts or sunflower seeds.
1 or 2 cloves raw garlic (if you can leave the pesto overnight to mellow), or 2 teaspoons minced garlic/garlic paste (if you want to eat it immediately).
Tablespoon nutritional yeast (use Parmesan for a non-vegan pesto).
Generous pinch of salt.
2-3 tablespoons olive oil (add as needed while blending).
Throw all the ingredients into ablender and keep blending until it looks like pesto. Add the olive oil as needed to help the blender out (you can also add a very little water), and as needed for texture.
Medicinal value
Chickweed is very high in a number of minerals (including copper, iron, magnesium, zinc, and calcium), and is an excellent source of Vitamin C. A serving of chickweed may be a good option if you think you’re about to come down with a cold.
You can dry it (wash and spread out somewhere warm) and make an infusion from it, which is supposed to be good for coughs and hoarseness. Pour boiling water over a small handful of dried chickweed, cover, and leave for 10-30 minutes. Strain before drinking. I found that it didn’t taste of very much, although it had a slightly sweet aftertaste; and I wasn’t convinced about the soothing effect, either. (I’d rather drink thyme tea for a sore throat or a cough, myself.) The tea is also a mild diuretic and is supposed to cleanse the kidneys, and may be helpful if you’re suffering from cystitis. Used externally as a wash, the tea may help soothe skin irritation.
You can also macerate chickweed in oil to use as a healing oil for minor skin irritation. It must be dried thoroughly first, otherwise dangerous bacteria can grow in the oil from the damp parts. As above, to dry, spread it on a tea-towel and leave it somewhere warm. Once dry, put it in a jar and pour oil over it, then label it and leave it in the sun for a couple of weeks. Move it to a dark cupboard after that, and use to treat minor skin issues topically as necessary. Do not take internally.
It is suggested that chickweed should be avoided if pregnant or breastfeeding; this seems to be because the effects haven’t been studied rather than because of any documented problems. If eating in moderation, you are likely to be fine, but I would recommend doing your own research and consulting a doctor if in doubt. Very excessive consumption of chickweed may cause nitrate poisoning (one case, and the conclusion is controversial), but eating it in moderation as a vegetable is very unlikely to cause problems.
Food from Your Balcony for Christmas Dinner
So, what can you eat from your balcony for Christmas dinner? It’s possible to get a handful of potatoes, if you sowed at the right time of year (about 16 weeks previously, so in August) and have a really big pot or a thick plastic sack. You’re very unlikely to get enough to satisfy the family appetite for roast potatoes, unfortunately!
What you can quite easily get is a few sprigs of fresh rosemary to roast your bought potatoes with; and a bay leaf for the gravy. Sage and onion stuffing is another popular Christmas dinner option, and fresh sage should be available if you have a well-established plant, or if you have a smaller plant but have put it in a cold frame. Parsley is cold-hardy and is nice with parsnips or in a lentil loaf or vegetable stuffing.
You can also make up a small but very tasty fresh salad from whatever rocket and lettuce leaves are still on the go. Eating fresh salad leaves directly from your own little patch in the middle of December is a wonderful treat. It’s also nice for a stomach that is feeling a little over-abused.
Medicinal Herbs for the Party Season
If you’re suffering from overindulgence (in either food or drink), your balcony herbs may be able to help.
For an upset stomach or to settle nausea, try a few leaves of peppermint steeped in boiling water. Peppermint is well-known for its digestive properties, and also contains antioxidants, which can help to prevent other forms of alcohol damage. Ginger is another herb which is great for soothing the stomach. Suck on a little raw ginger root, or steep some grated ginger root in boiling water.
A few leaves of fresh or dried thyme in water can help relax tired or stressed muscles, so may help with a headache. (The water itself will help, too, especially if you add a drop of honey.) Thyme is also good for settling the stomach. Yarrow, basil, coriander, and rosemary are all herbs which have folk-value as hangover cures (in all cases, steep some of the herb in boiling water, and drink with a little honey to taste), although in reality it may just be the water that does the work. Whatever else you do, make sure to drink plenty of water as well to help your body deal with the excess food or booze you put into it. Then go have a nap on the sofa to recover.