Sowing the seeds of a new harvest

(Such a great pastime, this)

The dankest, dreariest, wettest winter I can remember has given way to an equally miserable start to spring, making the ground far too wet to work, and delaying jobs that in other years would have already been done. 

Playing catch up has a knock-on effect and this has delayed things such as seed sowing. But thankfully, it is now under way. 

The first batch of seeds we sow always includes tomatoes. They benefit from an early start and a heated propagator (although a bright windowsill with a radiator beneath it works just as well). The method is always the same: good quality seed, compost, perlite, grit or vermiculite and clean pots and trays. Fill the tray, or pot, firm the compost slightly using a pressing board. Scatter the seeds thinly, cover with a thin layer of compost, perlite, grit or vermiculite. Water, and either put in a propagator or on a windowsill. 

There is something restful about the whole process of seed sowing, and later pricking out and potting on. It requires thought and concentration and is a perfect antidote after a stressful day. 

It is a process that never becomes tiresome or tedious, despite the many hundreds of seeds we must have sown over the years of gardening here. 

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