

For starters, harvesting is hands-on and gloriously dirty, so use gloves if you like. Will brings along a hand spade, a hand trident and “an optimistic attitude” in case of disappointment. To know when produce is ready, his best tip is to dig some up and have a bite! He suggests harvesting when the size is a little under what you’d see at the grocers. “There aren’t any prizes for the biggest vegetables. They lose flavour and become woody, too.” To protect your plumbing at home (Will nearly learned this the hard way), wash and rinse on site.
“I love to plant pots like herbs, chillies and tomatoes to bring indoors and see green over the winter. I go a bit overboard and very little light gets in, which my wife doesn’t love.”
Will, urban gardener
When he has surplus food, Will shares it with family and friends or hangs onto it for use during the offseason. Thyme and oregano can be frozen or dried in a brown paper bag. Basil makes great pesto. Carrots, fennel and beets are pickling perfect. Berries are good jam candidates, just like tomatoes can become chutney. Mostly, he likes to use as much as possible straightaway—for burgers, of course. At Plantparken, he and some fellow gardeners brought in a permanent grill and made a grassy play area for the kids.
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