Oh, yes. Advertising slogans including the words 'fresh start' bombard us from countless newspapers and hoardings, despite the fact that, to anyone observing either the Pagan or gardening calendar, the year turned back at Samhain, when the Third Harvest signalled the beginning of the Earth's slumber. Graeco-Etruscan myth speaks of Persephone, or Persipnei, spending the winter confined to Hades while, above ground, moon lore gives us a world locked under sheets of ice until the Chaste Moon of March rises, and Spring returns. So, not the best time to talk about being out in the garden with a shovel and a determined expression.

Instead, I've got some suggestions and information on herbs, vegetables and fruit that can be sown now, indoors or in a heated greenhouse or propagator, for early results and cropping. No matter what size your garden - or even if you haven't got one - it's possible to grow a wide range of plants rich in magickal, medicinal, culinary and household uses.

Now is a good time to sow tomatoes (lycopersicon esculentum, source of the potent anti-oxidant lycopene), chilli or sweet peppers (capsicum annuum, respectively Grossum and Longum groups) and aubergines (solanum melongena) under glass or on a warm indoor windowsill, two or three seeds to a small pot. Ideally, tomatoes require a temperature of about 65°F (18°C), while capsicums and aubergines need closer to 70-86°F (21-30°C). Aubergine seedlings also need regular misting, as they like a humid environment. Once the plants get a little bigger, adding a few drops of citronella oil to misting water will also discourage flying pests (this applies to most plants as a form of organic pest control). All three like a rich compost - please use peat-free and sustainable growing media where possible - and can either be planted out around May, temperatures permitting, or grown indoors on a sunny, draught-free windowsill; I have had particular success with jalapeño peppers and the tomato variety Totem, an F1 cultivar designed just for this purpose.

It is also worth noting that chilli peppers - specifically Cayenne - contain a substance called capsaicin which, applied topically, depletes the activity of Substance P., believed to be the principal transmitter of pain impulses, hence the folk remedy of rubbing a cut chilli on aching joints.

Although most herbs are best sown or propagated in mid-spring or autumn, there are a few exceptions. Chives (allium schoenoprasum or a. sibiricum, Siberian chives) can now be sown indoors on seed trays of medium rich compost. The leaves of this perennial herb - also known as Cives, Rush Leek, Civet or Sweth - make a wonderful flavouring and garnish, and the feathery pink flowers are great in salads; the plant is also hardy down to Zone 3.* Its astrological correspondence is to Mars, and the amounts of iron and trace minerals in the herb are said to be helpful for anaemia. Chives can be grown very successfully indoors.

Wild Chamomile (matricaria recutita) can be sown now under protection, too. It is a quick-growing wildflower that likes light, open soil and is also known as Camomile, German Chamomile, Corn Feverfew, Blood of Hestia and Scented Mayweed. It is also the sacred 'Maythen' of the Anglo-Saxon Lacnunga, Lay of the Nine Herbs. Wild chamomile should not be confused with the true Mayweed (anthemis cotula) which, confusingly, is also known as Stinking Chamomile!
It is most popular as a tea, but has numerous medicinal uses, and is referred to in the writings of Nechessor as a widespread Egyptian medicament, ruled by the Sun and used in the treatment of fevers.

Mint is usually better grown from cuttings or bought as an adult plant, as home sowings rarely come true to type. However, the variety mentha pulegium, known variously as Pennyroyal, Pudding Grass, Tickweed, Squaw Mint, Stinking Balm, Thickweed, Mosquito Plant, Squaw Balm or Mock Pennyroyal, is an exception to this rule, and can be sown under glass or indoors about now. It is a perennial hardy to Zone 3 that has culinary and medicinal uses for both adults and children, and can also be used to deter fleas and ants. It should not be taken by those who are pregnant, planning to conceive or suffering from kidney problems, and neither should the herb be boiled. Pennyroyal is associated with Venus, and may be grown indoors. It does particularly well in the warm, slightly moist atmosphere of bathrooms.

Spignel (meum athamanticum) is otherwise known as Baldmoney or, in Norwegian, Bjørnrot (bear root) and in German Bärwurz (related to the word Gebärmutter, meaning womb; a relic of the herb's history as a treatment for 'female diseases'). It is a perennial that requires two or three years to reach full maturity, and grows best in deep, well-dug soil. Galen advocated its use as a treatment for problems with the digestive and urinary tracts, but spignel is generally used as a vegetable or seasoning today. The leaf has a mild, curry-like flavour reflected in the Norwegian popular name karriplante. It can be sown now indoors, in seed trays, and then planted up in deep containers or beds when large enough. Astrologically, spignel comes under the dominion of Mercury and Cancer, with some links to Venus through its traditional usage. It is also regarded as sacred to the Norse god Baldyr.

Sweet Basil, St. Josephwort, Tulsi, Bazil, Tulasi, Kala Tulasi, Basilicon or Krishnamul (ocimum basilicum) is a well-known culinary herb, but is also associated with sex, love, money and divinity in various cultures. It is used in the preparation of holy water by the Greek Orthodox Church, and is the sacred herb upon which court oaths are sworn in India. Spanish prostitutes once wore basil oil to attract clients (both sexually and fiscally), while the herb is also widely used in Mexican folk magick, and many Strega love spells. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that basil is under the dominion of Erzulie, and corresponds astrologically to Mars and Scorpio!
It was prescribed by Pliny to ease flatulence, and has been used medicinally for centuries in Africa, the Far East, and by American colonists, who made snuff from the roots. Seed can be sown now indoors or in a propagator at around 55°F (13°C), two or three seeds to a small pot. Many of the varieties available may be grown indoors, where the plants often tend to behave as biennials. Outside basil's native continent of Asia, it is mainly grown as a tender annual but, originally, it is a perennial, and the relatively new variety 'African Blue' is said to be perennial even in temperate climates.

A famous magickal herb is Betony (stachys officinalis), often known as Wood Betony, and also called Bishopswort, Lamb's Ears, Betonica, Woundwort or Lousewort. It is associated both with Jupiter and Aries, and is said to protect against evil spirits and malign witchcrafts. For this reason, it was commonly planted in medieval herb gardens and churchyards. Antonius Musa, physician to the Roman Emperor Augustus, thought so highly of betony that he wrote an entire book dedicated to its virtues and, while the root should not be used, the dried herb is anti-spasmodic and sedative, and is useful in treating hypertensive disorders and headaches. The leaves are an excellent tea substitute, and an ingredient in herbal tobaccos. It requires partial shade, but tolerates most soil types and is hardy to Zone 4. Sow over the next month or so, under glass.

I hope some of the above provided either interest or inspiration. If you would like any further information on the herbs mentioned here, or if you have a question or topic you'd like me to discuss, please e-mail me, and remember: it's always summer somewhere! (Where did I put that pamphlet on emigrating to Australia...?)

* Plant hardiness zones are based on the lowest winter temperatures and number of frost-free days a location receives. In broad terms, they indicate the lowest temperature at which a plant will survive. To find out which zone you fall into, take a look at the Zone Finder on National Gardening website. Most herbs cannot tolerate temperatures above 90°F (32°C), but then neither can I. As ever, if a plant isn't thriving in a certain location, either move it, try a different variety, or give up. Like us, plants cannot be forced to grow in conditions unsuited to them.