I love germination

At long last a day of good soaking rain.  Both of us rejoicing like farmers at the sight of London very grey and very wet.  I hope this will go some way to breaking down those huge clumps of soil on the site. And perhaps filling those brand new wheelie bins we bought yesterday.  For an investment of just £6 we are the proud owners of two ex-Barnet Council grey wheelie bins – no lids, but very clean and hopefully perfect for collecting water if it ever deigns to rain again.  We also bought three heavy bags of compost and three of manure for the beds.  It was a cosy little shop – but quite an Aladdin’s cave of treasures And cheap. I couldn’t resist the packet of Greyhound cabbage seeds for 85p, about half the price of ones in the real world.  David admired the beds that I have put down and expressed concern about my sweet pea and runner bean obelisk. So no change there.  But we have agreed that the covered bed at the top end of the site will be on overflow potato bed. Once I have done something about the weeds. So I know what I will be doing next week then.   And perhaps trying to avoid Oswaldo. He gave me a blooming pink hyacinth yesterday. He was behind me in the queue in the little shop.  I get the feeling I may be the recipient of his munificence each and every time we meet. Pink hyacinths are not madly me.  The smell is exactly that of Arabella, ex Prime Minister John Major’s private secretary and mistress who worked with us at The Carlyle Group. The overpowering odour used to make us gag.

Today I have had to do something about the broad beans which are busting out of their root trainers.  I have potted them on into tall plastic water bottles in an attempt to contain their roots.  Messy business as I don’t have a potting shed but have to perform the tasks inside black bin liners and in the bath so I can mop up the mess easily.  The Sutton broad beans have also come up, but in less exuberant style.  And the peas are just poking out. I love germination.  We also have baby tomatoes, and I think two celeriacs, and two dwarf runner beans that will be destined for the roof terrace.  And the onion sets are also doing their thing – little roots showing through the fabric of the jiffy pots. I wonder which plants will go in first?