Hello,

I’m so excited to meet the new to me Sweet Pea varieties this year. Finally grow a good watermelon in this cold climate. Grow more pumpkins than last year. Grow enough broccoli and cauliflower by out smarting the rabbit that must airlift itself in, there is no other possible way!

At this stage the garden season ahead can feel a bit overwhelming, what if I stuff up the sowing or miss a step, what if everything gets eaten, what if everything gets too much water and the seeds rot, what if a mouse digs up the seed and eats everything, have I done enough prep. It’s fear talking. And those things have already happened in past seasons anyway, learn from the setback, move on to the next best step.

I know it is just the new season jitters, it happens every year, the excitement that has no limits followed by the apprehension.

I’ll work through it by taking one step at a time.

Slowly. Methodically. Look at the next best thing to do.

I had a lecturer at college who, at least once a week, would say something to this effect;

You probably won’t remember much of what I teach you but I hope you always remember that what ever the goal, no matter how big it is, break it down into small doable steps, do the easy parts first and the hard parts will soon  enough fall into place.

So this is my encouragement to you, the garden may feel overwhelming at this time of year, the expectations to grow everything well are just expectations, give yourself the grace you deserve and start slowly, step by step, do as much as you can on any given day and heavily mulch everything. There is no shame in resting garden beds if life has other plans for you this growing season. There is no shame in buying fruit or veg or flowers if for one reason or another things don’t work out the way you planned. The goal posts keep shifting thanks to climate change, and there will always be some crops that do better one year and not the next, that is the reality of gardening.

I hope you remember to sit in your beautiful garden and listen to the birds and feel the sun sink into your bones after this long winter, watch as the clouds float by, that part must be non negotiable.

Love from my garden to yours,

Jude x