Growing THE GOOD LIFE

In the final part of her series, Sara Ward prepares for Christmas and the growing season to come

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Growing the Good Life is especially rewarding as we start to prepare for winter celebrations. Not only can we harvest food for the feast, but also berries, seedheads and foliage for festive decorations.

Back at the beginning of the year, my grow-your-own aims were to produce as many ingredients for homemade piccalilli as possible; that’s cucumbers, runner beans, cauliflower, carrots and onions, then salad leaves, peppers and tomatoes for the summer and, finally, all the veg for our Christmas dinner. Everything else has been a huge bonus!

So now, as I wander down to the allotment with basket in hand for my final harvest of the year, I can find broccoli, potatoes and Brussels sprouts, and feel that warm sense of achievement knowing that homegrown roasted parsnips will be delicious drizzled with our own honey.

Natural decorations

Here at Hen Corner, we've been making wreaths and garlands for many years using evergreens from the garden. Yew provides a soft base, which can be layered up with shiny camellia and silvery olive leaves. Red berries can be pinned in place along with small pine cones, and a festive ribbon brings it all together.