Silver bells and cockle shells.....

I see dead plants ..........no honestly, I’ve killed my Hosta and an ivy. I thought it was impossible to kill ivy. And a fern. Ferns just grow everywhere. By themselves. How can I kill a fern? I live in a ground floor apartment, the pots around my front door suffer from the over-hang of the balcony above. It’s dank and dark so, I thought, Hostas? Ferns? Ivy? Flowers don’t even grow into the equation. But my friend, the gardener, has done some kind of urban-garden-vegetable-growing-outward-bound-thing and is required to get us city-folk growing edible things in pots, or whatever, as part of the deal. So, I thought, that sounds good. And do you know what? It’s brilliant. When I learn how to add pictures I'll show you......

I’m growing tomatoes, sweat peppers, chili peppers, basil, coriander, rocket, broad beans and radishes...many from seed....and they’re growing. Admittedly, I’ve commandeered an unused, raised-bed in the courtyard and put my pots out in the sun and that has undoubtedly helped. I’m not a natural gardener, I will admit. I’m over-enthusiastic in the beginning and have a tendency to be a bit trigger-happy with the watering can. Then I quickly get bored when they don’t grow. Immediately. But broad beans have sorted out that problem. My broad-beans-from-seed are now worthy of any Jack. And then there are the radishes. Almost instant and even though they are only embryo radishes, the bit in the soil is already cerise pink and they taste of radish. Proper, hot, peppery-like-my-friend-in-France’s radishes. I can’t wait till I can pull them up, cut a neat wedge in the crisp flesh, fill with white butter and dip in rock salt...aaah, delicieux..... crack open the pink wine.....who needs Provence?

Of course now, as a neo-daughter-of the-soil, I look to the sky as the rain-clouds gather and the first, heavy June-drops hit the deck, suck my teeth ruefully and nod : ‘it’ll be good for the garden’. Because now, I am woman, I am Gardener....

Top tip: you can teach an old dog new tricks....