There is an art to gardening.

It is not something that can be rushed; a garden will grow in its own good time.

Time and patience is a lesson that anyone who takes up gardening will need to learn.

This is particularly true in the early part of the growing season.

In the UK, March to May is a special time for planting seeds to grow food. Winter is over, and spring is in the air. The garden is coming to life again. Of course, there are winter plants and crops that grow throughout the year, but spring is a special time.

And timing is important.

Plant too early, and there is a risk that the last frost will catch you out. Seeds and plants are hardy, but varieties that are not used to it might succumb to a cold spell. With seeds buried in the ground or a container, you can never be sure that they have survived.

A few weeks ago, when the weather was fine and sunny, I decided to sow some seeds in pots to get them started. I planted tomatoes, peas, beans in pots, and potatoes directly in the garden.

Then one morning, a few days later, I was up very early. I opened the curtains and noticed frost on the roof of the house opposite. Parked cars also had a frosty look about them. Outside, it was cold. Not winter cold, but it was a coat-wearing morning.

I checked the pots of seeds that I had planted. Not that it would tell me anything. The seeds hadn’t germinated yet, but it was too soon for that anyway. Everything looked normal.

I would have to wait to see if they would show themselves. Fingers crossed that the seeds had survived what was most likely the last frost.

The days passed, and I continued to water them. Counting the days since sowing them, I began to wonder if they were going to appear.

Then, a couple of days ago, one of the pots, in a tray of fifteen, showed signs of life. The seed had germinated, and the tiny beginnings of a plant were just forcing themselves through the compost.

The next day, another one appeared.

And there were two more today.

Things cannot be rushed in the garden, but there is always a little anxiety about getting it wrong or failing to grow something the right way.

Whenever I plant seeds, I know that some will fail. Sometimes, they all fail, and you have to start again.

Meanwhile, time moves on, but you cannot rush things. Plants will grow in their own time, and all you can do is take care of them.

There is little that you can do to accelerate the process.

But why would you want to? Nature has decided it should be this way, and the end result is worth waiting for.

Thanks for reading!

The Art of Gardening was originally published in Welcome to My Not-So Fancy Garden on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The vegetable garden. Five tips to save money. It doesn’t need to cost a lot.

Yesterday, I was in my local Lidl supermarket. I noticed that they had their garden seeds and plants for sale. In the UK, from late February to the end of April, it’s the main buying season for the garden.

I was interested to see what they had because late March is the time of year to start sowing. I did buy a packet of seeds, a variety of cucumber called Polan. At 29 pence per packet, I decided to try them.

But when it comes to seeds, I rarely buy any at this time of year. I don’t need to, as I usually have all the seeds that I need.

Much of what I grow doesn’t cost me anything.

Here’s what I do.

Tip Number One: Wait for the price reductions!

If you are a first-year gardener, then you will probably need to buy seeds, but after that, it often isn’t necessary. Seeds tend to last a long time. Even those with use-by dates will still germinate, typically for several years. I have a couple of old packs with a use-by date of 2019 and 2021. They still produced plants last year.

But it is worth restocking your seed collection by taking advantage of the end-of-season sale. Where I live, all the main retailers will have them at half price or less come early May. That’s when I buy for the following year and beyond.

Tip Number Two: Get your own seeds from the food you buy.

This works in the UK, but may not elsewhere.

I regularly buy vegetables and fruit from the reduced section in supermarkets at bargain prices. It means I buy otherwise expensive items for a fraction of the usual price.

If I like them, I will then attempt to grow them.

I have successfully grown many varieties of tomatoes, peas, runner beans and potatoes, this way.

I have read online that it does not always work with supermarket produce. However, whenever I have tried it, plants have always grown, and a decent crop results.

Tip Number Three: Let your garden provide the seeds for you.

The benefit of tip number two is that you can use part of your crop for the next year.

But you can do that with everything you grow.

Plants ultimately go to seed. Just save the seeds for future use. It’s better than buying them and free!

Tip Number Four: If you like reading about gardening…

UK gardening magazines will regularly have free seeds with each issue (other countries may have similar promotions). The magazines themselves are not as cheap as they once were, but the free seeds might make it worthwhile.

As long as you like to read about gardening, the free seeds are a bonus.

Tip Number Five: Share with others.

Local gardening clubs, or just neighbours you know, might have seeds to swap or just give away.

The end result of all of the above is that I have a box of seeds which is usually full. I rarely buy from the shops, that is, until I go bargain hunting for the end of season reductions.

In my next post, I will give details of what I will be growing this year.

Thanks for reading!

Garden Seeds 101: Growing Your Own Food Garden. was originally published in Welcome to My Not-So Fancy Garden on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The weather last weekend was ideal for being out in the garden. In the UK, we had temperatures between fifteen and twenty degrees. It was more like May than early March.

But a cold spell for this week was forecast, so I took advantage of the unseasonal warmth to get the garden ready for the growing season.

The garden has become my personal food bank.

What with the cost of living crises, inflation, and just about everything we need costing more as each year passes, I take pleasure in being able to grow my own food. When I see the price of fruit and veg in the supermarket, I’m relieved that for the cost of a few pence for seeds, the garden will provide most of what I require.

Well, it provides for about eight months of the year, and mostly vegetables.

Fruit is a little difficult to grow because it usually requires high temperatures. The British weather does not always provide the heat required!

I do well growing strawberries, and I’m fortunate to live in an area where wild blackberries grow. At the bottom of my garden, the neighbouring property has a large blackberry bush that grows over the fence. I don’t have to do anything but pick them!

In the winter, I let the garden go to sleep and regenerate.

But when March arrives, it is time to wake the garden up. Often, it requires a tidy-up, although I am often surprised by how messy it can become. The weather, birds, squirrels, cats, and occasionally foxes visit, and between them, they know how to make a mess.

Sunday morning, with the sun shining, I was able to make steady progress.

A friendly blackbird spent most of the morning following me around, waiting for my digging to unearth some poor worm. Not that I do much digging these days. I now mostly follow the no-dig approach to gardening.

For now, I will plant seeds in pots and trays and keep them indoors to avoid the last frost.

When April arrives, I will get started on planting.

Will the garden provide? It usually does, but until the seeds start to grow, uncertainty remains.

Then, the waiting game begins.

Thanks for reading!

Another Day in the Garden was originally published in Welcome to My Not-So Fancy Garden on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.