Chris Collins share advice on tasty crops that can be kick-started on a windowsill this month.

Microgreens on tray on windowsill — Ever-reliable microgreens can be sown and grown on the windowsill now

While we wait for the darker months to end, it can be easy to get impatient for the growing season. As daylight inches forward, gardeners across the land are eyeing their newly bought seeds and itching to get sowing! As I write this in early February, it’s still a bit early for most seeds - but if you’re pining for some fresh organic food then there are a few options.

Grow micro this February 🔗

The ever-reliable microgreens can be sown and grown on the windowsill now. You can use up old packets of chard and beetroot, or sow fresh cut-and-come-again salads and wild rocket. I like to sow thickly in pots or recycled tomato punnets.

Sow three or four containers making sure you sieve peat-free compost over the top of the seeds and gentle tamp the compost surface. Once this is done, stand them in an old foil barbeque tray, or similar, to catch the excess water - and place on the windowsill.

For a consistent supply, sow three or four more containers in a couple of weeks’ time and swap over once your first sowings are ready to crop.

Try heritage veg on your windowsill 🔗

If you’re looking for something a bit more substantial, then you could grow seeds into larger plants, providing you have a spot that is nice and light and away from temperature variation caused by draughts or radiators. A decent well-lit windowsill can suffice but even better would be a crop protection unit like polytunnel or cold frame.

Help us celebrate our Heritage Seed Library’s 50th anniversary and grow some early heritage varieties. Try Gupta’s Indian Mustard’ , shchavel greens (means Sorrel in Russian) and lettuce ‘White seeded Samara’. These and more can be found in the Heritage Seed Library’s 2026 Seed List.

Practice the same sowing technique but pay careful attention to the watering as the shorter days will mean you need a more moderate regime.

It won’t be long now…and we gardeners will soon be sowing to our hearts content. Hopefully, these little tips will keep you going!

Happy sowing, Chris Collins

Like to nurture a forgotten treasure? We need the support of Variety Champions to ‘adopt’ special seeds at the Heritage Seed Library, and continue and expand our work. Click here to see which seeds need your help.