Things are starting slow, so this week I mainly focused on tidying the garden. Getting rid of all the dead plants I left behind last year, working the soil, pulling out weeds and putting some air back into it. The unglamorous but necessary work.

I planted sunflowers, which I hope will stay in the soil long enough to actually sprout before the birds get to them. I grow them mainly for their beauty, but the birds enjoy them greatly too. My mum always gets angry when they eat the seeds straight off the plant — even though she grows them with the full intention of feeding the birds through winter. I don’t get angry at it. When the heads are ready I just leave the plant standing until every seed is gone.

More flower seeds are going in soon. This is absolutely critical if you want lovely bees in your garden — and you need the bees for your vegetables to thrive.

I also planted tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers from seed indoors, where they will grow until they are ready to go outside.

This week I collected the first nettles of the year — which went straight into the apple cider vinegar tonic now brewing in my pantry. And the first mint is already showing up too. The garden feels like it came alive really early this year. Maybe that is a testament to how well I took care of it last year