Spring Fever and Planting Seeds!

What is it about this time of year that makes you want to start clearing out the house and planting seeds all at the same time. Every year it's the same. I am faced with the dilemma that the house needs a really good clear out, in fact after living here twenty years it needs a monumental clear out. I think as you get older the desire to lighten the load gets stronger. Having watched my parents move down here to join us  the amount of clearing out and getting rid of possessions was quite astounding and I felt compelled to do the same. I just don't want to be bogged down by things that need my attention in the house when I could be doing interesting things with my children or outside on the vegetable patch.

 Every year I yearn to plant bigger and better. I want to be self sufficient in the vegetable front. Now I know I will never achieve it, but the desire is deep in my heart. There is something very cathartic about getting your hands dirty in soil and seeing new fresh green seedlings pop up out of the earth. A little bit of warm weather, blue sky and sunshine immediately makes me pull on my boots and race out into the garden, fork in hand, and then, I direct my husband where to start digging. I know I've  said it before but I don't know where I would be if my husband or one of my sons didn't come out and do the back breaking work for me. I love to wander around with my wooden tools in hand and do gentle hoeing and planting in the dug over beds but the hard digging does nothing for me at all.

In fact if I'm really honest what I love to do is pour over the seed merchants catalogues and dream about all the different packets of seeds I'm going to buy. My favorites are Sutton Seeds and
Thompson and Morgan. Both are full to bursting with beautiful pictures of wonderful flowers and the
freshest looking vegetables. Just recently Sarah Raven who writes for the Country Living magazine has put out her own seed catalogue, I am very inspired to try and grow some of our own flowers, you never know some of them may even be good enough to bring into the shop. Flowers have not been high on my list, although I love them our garden has been battered by our eight children kicking balls playing rugby and generally causing mayhem outside. But now they are all older and before the Grandchildren get to big it might just be the time and try. I just love Sarah Ravens white collection, so I think that will be first on my list!

The next thing I love to get are my new bags of compost, then I go into my greenhouse and begin to plant up trays and trays of this lovely dark, damp soil, sprinkling seeds as I
go. I work quite methodically writing out on lovely wooden stakes what each tray holds.
Then with my lovely old battered watering can I get the whole process off to a wonderful start
And give everything a good drink.

There is something quite miraculous about seeing the new growth beginning to poke its head up through the soil, this, then is when the fun really begins to happen. Thinning out, and transplanting, this is the bit I enjoy. I am sure I over crowd everything but at the end of the day when I have nice straight rows of lettuces, peas, beans, spinach etc I can stand back and admire my handiwork. I also love building frames and creating focal interest using old rusty obelisks and plant supports for the
peas and beans.

But best of all is when Summer comes and I can go out, colander in hand and pick some lovely lettuce for lunch, a quick wash and spin dry, straight too the plate with a handful of other veg lashings of olive oil and lemon juice, a sprinkling of salt and cracked pepper, fork in hand a go outside and
enjoy the fruits of my hard labour!

The other thing I love looking at is Pinterest where I get all sorts of ideas, that usually make me green with envy, the pictures above will give you an idea of what I mean here are a few examples I cameacross that  inspire me to get out there and get on!!