Digging the Earth

So much blue sky!  And this sunshine is my kick up the arse to do a bit of gardening.  I’m lured by bright instant-colour pots of flowers and their right-now, ‘have your cake and eat it’ satisfaction. But the real early-spring magic is in the packed-up promise of an envelope of seeds.

I always forget the digging and preparation that the soil needs. It’s a satisfying rhythm, and I like wrestling with the weeds to get down to that rich loamy sow-me-quick soil. I mingle wild flower mixes, cosmos and short sunflowers in to some seed compost and throw it over the earth before patting down with a gentle toe.

I never know what will poke through this soil. To thrive in this garden you have to be a hardy plant who doesn’t mind some neglect. But that unknown is a good few weeks away. For know I’m happy sitting in the last light, with a cup of tea and some freshly tilled earth at my side, patted down with the expectant promise of some seedlings soon.