Seed sowing is now in partial swing. Onions (from seed of course), tomatoes, celeriac, rhubarb, purple artichoke and cardoon. My spring sown broad beans and peas will follow this week. Last year's peas cropped very late, late planting out and cold winds I think, so this year I am trying a dwarf early called Oskar. I was drawn in by the Seeds of Italy catalogue. The arrangement of carrots on the packet is somehow more inspirationally artistic than Britsh offerings. Most of mine are from Chase Organic Gardening and Real Seeds. I noticed they were selling seeds in Lidl for 29 pence. I could be tempted. I predict austerity gardening may be the next vogue. Of course, we aim to grow our own seed supply, although probably not for pain-in-the-arse stuff like sweetcorn and peppers. This means staying away from those nasty capitalist conspiracy F1 hybrids, which have patented unknown mixed parentage that don't come true from seed.

We are going for the potager look, a French idea of mixing produce with flowers. Something a bit like this picture, which I pulled from Valerie's "I want a garden like this" file. The flowers help the veg but I think I'll leave companion planting philosophy for another day. Anyway lots of annual flowers to be sown for intermingling in the beds. I want one of those hats.