Cunning plan

My plan of attack for the next couple of weeks is:

• repot enough seedlings to start hardening off
• put them somewhere cooler than my windowsill
• plant them in final location
• plant more seeds
• Rinse
• repeat

Anyone ever had any luck with physalis giving fruit? I want to grow to eat, not for decoration, although that's an added benefit.

I have also been given a load of carrot seeds, are carrots hard to grow? I have heard of carrot fly...

The small is obsessed with watering and weeding. This is mostly good, however, what she wants to weed isn't always quite right. Luckily I have more than my fair share of rocket seedlings.

Our exciting planting venture of the week was to put loads of fresh potting compost into the planter that lives on the shelf in our porch. Normally we regrow morning glories there every summer. This year we're trying morning glories AND dwarf peas. Both lots are coming up already, after being planted and heavily watered on Thursday. Impressive!

So much growing, so much that I have probably planted a little early.

Very little is as exciting as sweetcorn seeds coming up. Little green spears springing up. I feel like Medea sewing the dragon's teeth. Luckily I don't think my spears will turn into warriors. Hopefully we'll get really delicious sweetcorn.

Everything I have going in the seed trays has come up apart from the fennel (very ancient seeds), and the Salvia lavandifolia. The trays are really beautiful and desperately need thinning.

My friend's garden has got a reasonable number of herbs already planted: two types of thyme, a purple sage, mint and a huge rosemary bush. They are sort of scattered around a patio that is going to go, so I think I'll be moving the plants, and planting my seedlings all in one section. She would prefer to have everything together in one place, so we can definitely do that.

My first lot of gardening for her was to trim the giant rosemary bush (which I am NOT moving), and put the clippings into the compost heap. Excitingly, despite her nerves about worms she has said she'll feed the compost, which is a great bravery, so there will be loads of rich lovely compost for her husband's planned veg bed.

We also planted some dwarf sweetpeas in a pot for her conservatory craft room. My small was ecstatically happy all day in the garden, which makes all of us equally gleeful.

Pease! Groweeeeeng!

The title is a quote from my small person, who has developed a passionate and perhaps dangerous interest in what is sprouting in our seed trays. It is unlikely to be dangerous to her, but let's see how the toddler level trays last out the spring. I'm betting we have at least two potting compost across the floor type collapses.

Anyway, she's wrong, the peas are outside, sitting in the cold cold ground, and I hope that the hard frosts haven't killed them. We keep looking for them though, every time we walk past.


Groweeng in seed tray no1 we now have Salvia horminum, common basil, greek basil and Calendula all sprouting. In amazing, planted on Sunday, seed tray no2 we now have sweetcorn, and parsley just starting to go.


Seed tray 2 also contains:

• Viola- johnny jump up
• Coriander
• Chives
• and Rocket.

There was a definite spring-y softness to the air this morning, despite the -2 °C thermometer reading while we walked to nursery, and the Small is pointing out buds, and flowers. I get so excited this time of year, as the clouds of the February blues start to part, and I can believe that the light and the lovely smells and colours of the year are coming round again.

Something from nothing

Bloo and I are trying to make beautiful gardens from our vast enthusiasm, little knowledge, and the work of our hands.

I'm trying to create a herb garden for a friend who seems to dislike the mud, insects and unpredictable nature of the garden, despite wanting the beauty and usefulness of a herb garden. I've never started from a blank slate before. My previous lovely messy garden spaces have always had something that I valued in them, so I've been adding to the existing pleasures.

This time, I'm working in a space that was once (and is currently still) under decking. My friend's desires for her garden are lavender, some tasty spicy herbs, something beautiful, more lavender, and ease of maintenance. I want to lure her into the delight of watching things grow, seeing the nature that lurks in British suburbia as a positive thing, not a frightening one.

This is a non-scripta blog, because we have no written plans, no formal outlines for our gardens. Currently I just have a list, and the idea of a circular plot. My list is as follows:

• 15 lavender plants,

• thyme (I have never had much success with thyme before)

• rosemary

• pansies

• basil and hot peppers in pots

• sage

• fennel

• chives.

I love to grow things from seed, so this weekend and the next I'll start to put things into trays, to see what little darlings will come up from my carefully hoarded seed packets. I'm going to post on freecycle too, to see if I can get some bricks to outline the bed, and maybe we'll be away. This is definitely learning by doing

Bloo has much more exciting, adventurous plans and I'm eager to see what she comes up with.