The seeds grew into little plants! The greenhouse is full and most of them aren’t quite ready to plant-out but they are getting there. I feel a sense of quiet satisfaction!

I have learnt some things. It is a lot of work. And you need an exit strategy – you can’t stop once they’ve germinated. They need potting on and potting on; and the right amount of water; and hardening off. It’s a conveyor belt and getting them through the first stage is just the start.

And potting-on is a LOT more complicated than Monty Don lets on and they don’t just come out with a little push and lovely rootball. Things to remember:

• Sow thinly. I understand why now. Otherwise you can’t separate them.
• Do it as soon they’ve got proper leaves. Don’t let them get too big because then the roots are too strong and don’t come out
• Make sure the pot they’re coming from isn’t completely dried out but don’t get it really wet first, otherwise it clags together
• Empty the pot with the seedlings out gently on to some other soil and then tease them out – don’t try and take them out of the pot

It doesn’t help that I don’t really know what everything is! The Queen Anne’s lace is doing well, as is the Greek oregano (a third in heavy soil, a third in sandy soil, a third not done yet). The scabious (or is it nicotiana?) I did first and doing okay. I’ve only just done the nicotiana (or scabious?), which I did all the wrong things to (see above) is alive now, but will it be tomorrow?

Here is a picture of my greenhouse which looks like a full cupboard.