The sowing of seeds has started and some have startled me by germinating almost immediately – Cosmos Dazzler and Purity were already showing after two days and now the challenge is to find enough light to stop them getting too leggy. The new window in the sunny front bay window is draught-free which is good as pretty much everywhere else in the house there are eddies of cold air coming in from outside. Seed trays are starting to gather here and don’t think it will be long before they spread out to the other window sills around the house, draughty or not.

Only the toughest seedlings can cope with the unheated greenhouse; so in there are: sweetpeas, broad beans and autumn sown hardy annuals in pots like Amni Visgna and larkspur –  even for them it has been a challenge over the last very frosty weeks.

Tomato seeds (Stupice, Gardener’s Delight and Sungold), were sprinkled in small pots a week ago  and have all germinated. Likewise the tomatillo seeds have all come up and now I am genuinely challenged about how to accommodate all their tender, frost-free needs as the greenhouse seems to be colder inside than out at night and certainly won’t protect the hundreds of seedlings I will soon need to pot up. Some chillies (Hungarian Hot Wax) have germinated abundantly while others have stubbornly refused to emerge after several weeks. The aubergine seedlings (Ophelia) look perky and it will be good to experiment with growing these under cover in the greenhouse in the summer. Meanwhile the patience of all my family is going to be fiercely tested as the whole house overflows with plants.

This year I have tried to be more organised with labeling and am including supplier name on labels well as name, date of sowing. So far have been able to notice reliable seed germination from Kings Seeds, Sarah Raven, Roger Parsons sweetpeas and Higgledy Garden. Trying not to order new seed until  have mostly sown what I have, but am very, very tempted by the range and descriptions on the lovely Seedaholic website. Not sure how long I am going to be able to hold back.