The Croftless Crofter: Nic Goddard - January 2025
The new year and early January often bring about a rush of good intentions.
A backwards look over the year passed and hopes for the year ahead can be a constructive and positive thing and the fresh feeling of a new year allows for changes, improvements, new energy and enthusiasm.
When stepping outside in early winter, whether frost hardens the ground or mud softens it, the shorter grass and quieter hues of the rest of the garden allow for easy sightings of new growth.
The first things to appear are the spring bulbs - little bright green spears of hope pushing up, even through the snow, to remind us that colour and flowers will soon be here again, as will buzzing bees and sunshine.
Those daffodils, tulips, crocuses and grape hyacinths in waiting also remind me they are here because a few autumns ago we thought ahead of winters to come and planted bulbs.
A prompt to look at what has already been achieved as well as looking forward.
I gifted a friend a pretty bowl planted up with narcissus bulbs for Christmas. She has reduced mobility and can’t get outside to enjoy gardening as much as she would like.
This means she can still enjoy that feeling of spring on the way indoors and it got me thinking of other ways of planning ahead for the coming year to make sure I have ways to enjoy looking back with thanks and forward with hope for giving nature a helping hand to bring colour and smiles.
As the festive products are cleared away in shops, so the storage boxes, spring cleaning items and gardening products will begin to appear.
Seed packets have helpful information about which months you can sow indoors, outdoors under cover and directly into the ground so there will be something ready to sow, peeking through the ground or in full bloom.
I am also going to plan this year to have some indoor versions of windowsill herbs or edible flowers. There are many sprouts and micro herbs, from beansprouts to mustard and cress, which can be enjoyed a matter of days after laying them on damp kitchen paper.
The potted herbs sold in supermarkets can be tended and repotted to give fresh basil, chives or parsley even if you don’t grow them from seed.
Houseplants or cut flowers offer the scent and colour of a spring or summer garden all year round and just as with an outdoor garden there are indoor plants to suit all conditions of sunlight and shade as well as all levels of intervention and looking after, from those which require regular tending to ones which almost thrive on benign neglect.
Are you are a bonsai or orchid level indoor gardener enjoying all of the tools, feeds and attention they require or someone a bit more haphazard about even watering regularly?
Finally, I am planning to be better at preserving when I have an abundance or even when produce is in season and available in the shops or to barter with friends so that I can enjoy the tastes of seasons even after they have passed.
This could involve investing time in making jams, jellies and chutneys, pickles or fermented creations or simply sticking things in the freezer to be enjoyed later.
Happy New Year and all the best for 2025.
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