May is deceptive. You think there is sunshine and warmth there, but look closer and all you see is grey and coldness. That’s the PM for you.
It’s no different in the garden, where temperatures remain cool and seedlings need to be tough to harden off before planting. Even before getting to the veg patch they have to combat the “bloody difficult” slugs which continue to chomp on them, but enough are surviving the onslaught to make it to potting on. Despite the snails rampaging through seedlings like the SNP through the Labour heartlands, I have managed to pot up plenty of Summer PSB, and enough Brussels to pay for ten thousand new policemen. I think that figure is correct. Give me a moment….
This weekend it did start to feel warmer and Mrs B helped me plant out the sweet peas in the goalposts. Last year the first sweet pea blossomed on 27th May – a month and a half earlier than the usual Sweet Pea Day of 10th July. I cannot see that we will have a sweet pea by that time this year, but perhaps one will bloom on 8th June. We could do with something uplifting and beautiful to happen on that day. I am not expecting any other wonderful surprises then.
Midlife Gardener 