Seedy strategies
It's all too easy to get carried away when you see rack upon rack of tempting packets like those in our garden centre: you just want them all. Here's how to make those tough decisions:
- Make a desert-island list of flowers, veg and herbs you wouldn't want to be without. This is your initial shopping list: at this stage, it'll probably be too long.
- Draw up a plan of your garden to scale, sketching in the areas where you want to sow flowers or vegetables. This gives you a realistic idea of how much space you've got.
- Prune your shopping list to fit your plan. This involves some agonising choices – but think how you'd feel if those extra seeds went to waste. And there's always next year...
- Decide how much you need: a few annual cosmos scattered through your border won't require many seeds, but if you're planning a big bed of mixed varieties you'll need more.
- Strengthen your willpower and armed with your list, come to the garden centre and fill your basket. Add plant labels, seed trays and seed compost, and you're ready to sow.
