Spring has sprung, and it’s time to get sowing.

So spring is here and it’s really time to get going up here. The spring bulbs are nearly all out now, looking beautiful and as I’m writing this, I’m watching the pigeons that are back, getting all romantic and looking for seedlings to pull up.

Last week we went out and started the big clean up. There is something so exciting about empty pots. You can start planning what you want to grow this year, and go seed shopping!

However, due to such a mild winter and I guess because we are quite sheltered, not that much died off.  My wild rocket that I should have pulled up in August is still flowering. I just can’t bring myself to get rid of it; it’s battled through so much. I’m sure I will get a grip when I have something to replace it.

Yesterday I set about organizing my potting shed, better known as the upstairs toilet. This is where I spend most of my evenings in spring. It’s also a resting place for my house plants to take their chances if they aren’t looking good enough for public display.

I’m starting this year with sweet peas, easily one of my favourites (but you will find that I say that about most plants). Sweet peas are perfect up on the roof, as they give height and amazing colour to block out the vast brick walls that surround us.

I’m sowing four different peas, three of which are seed that I bought last year from the Pound Shop, and I have to say were brilliant: they’re called ‘Royal family’. I’ve got red, white, and pink, (I used all the blue last year). The other pea that I’m sowing is an heirloom variety called ‘MIss Wilmot’. I saved loads of seeds from last year's blooms, so fingers crossed they will germinate.

Looking at my garden diary from last year I saw that I was doing a sweet pea experiment to see if soaking or sowing the seed direct made a difference. Not being a disciplined scientist, I never wrote down the result. So I’m soaking the seed for 24 hours again. I can only imagine that it must speed up germination as they are already splitting this morning.

I’m off now to study leaf structure which is much more exciting than it sounds, well if you like that kind of thing.

Happy Gardening!