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I am a keen gardener so it is with a heavy heart that I tidy up my garden at this time of year and start preparing for Winter and the possibility of that terrifying prospect – frost. My tomatoes are coming to an end in the greenhouse and the leaves have almost completely fallen from my fruit trees which served me well over the Spring and Summer months. However, because of the random climate of the country in which we live, I still find it amazing to see tender young shoots pushing up through the soil from plants which should be preparing for their hibernation about this time of year. It always leaves me wondering what should be done with these eager new seedlings, desperate for their chance to show me what they are made of (literally, as the cross-pollination taking place in my greenhouse this year has meant that I have tomato plants growing in the middle of beds of lettuces!)
Desperate to witness the wonder of what these sometimes indistinguishable tiny plants may grow into, I take the time to transplant them into smaller garden pots to bring inside and place upon my kitchen windowsill. In years gone by, some of the plants have not made the journey and have wilted before really getting established. Then there have been the times when my husband has feared it may be a case of ‘Revenge of The Trifids’ as our daylight is blocked out by the huge plants which have evolved from what was a tiny stalk just weeks before. I try to chose garden pots and planters which are in keeping with the plant to which becomes its home: cheery colourful pots for sunflowers and the tiniest of cherry tomatoes; warm and earthy terracotta shades for the more serious courgettes and hardy herbs.
So, it’s that time of year when I bring my treasures inside once more and wonder at the rows of green shoots which year after year always delight with becoming something else entirely. Just as certain is the fact that my hubby will remain ever-vigilant just in case they decide to get out of hand and do a ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ on me!
