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As the days become longer and the winter months begin to give way to the brighter days of spring, gardens everywhere are bouncing back to life. Steve Head, our Clink Gardens lead trainer, has given us an update on how the Clink Gardens are preparing for the new season at our locations in HMP High Down and HMP Send.
New growth, early spring flowers and buds breaking on hardy shrubs are tentatively rearing their heads, testing the warmth of the sun and seeking an early advantage over those that still sit snug beneath the soil in cooler areas of the garden or stubborn frost pockets.
So what can be grown at this time of year when, despite lengthening days, there is still a risk of sudden snow, ice, and frost? Well, at the Clink Gardens, we are starting to sow our chili plants (indoors, of course). Our students prepare modular trays with fresh seeding compost and place them in a warm location in the Clink classroom to encourage germination. Chillis are always popular within the Gardens, and this year will see both Clink Gardens at High Down and Send growing extra plants for use as table decorations within our Clink Restaurants at HMP Brixton and HMP Styal. These plants will be available to purchase from the restaurants by our customers, who can then take them home and enjoy the fruits of our sweet, spicy or extra hot chillis, adding them to their own culinary creations.
The hotter the weather and the drier the plant, the hotter the chilli fruit will be. Some growers deliberately allow their chilli plants to wilt before watering them, as this will stress the plant and produce hotter chilli fruits. However, I would suggest checking your plants on a regular basis and opting for a more cautious watering strategy.
Aphids love chilli plants, so check them regularly and deal with aphids before they take hold. Heavily invested plants need to be removed from the growing area, as aphids spread quickly from plant to plant. I have found that taking your plant out of the greenhouse and placing it in the open attracts natural predators, such as ladybirds, to the aphids and helps reduce the problem. Rain will also wash off the plant. After a short while, the plant can either be returned to the greenhouse or, if too infested, disposed of accordingly.
Check back again at the beginning of summer to see what Steve and his team of students have been growing so far this year.
