January/February Week 4: Cold, wet but never miserable

I've never understood the appeal of 'no dig' gardening. Digging's the best bit. Mr Middleton clearly agrees as he's been pleading for digging since the first week of January.

In Week 3 of January he thought I'd be nearing FINISHING the dig and suggested I had a good clean up too. At least today saw the first dig of the year. Too wet really judging by the mud to shoes ratio but in the end it's got to be better to be outdoors than in!

I was heartened to see Carol Klein salvage some chard as she climbed over the top of her compost bin the other Friday. Her announcement she'd be taking it in to cook up for tea was one of the rare glimpses of authentic gardening on the TV. The joy of being outside looking at what's happening is why it might be cold and wet but it's never miserable.


Mr Middleton takes a formal tone on potato examining. This did at least lead me to remember to put them in egg boxes. I know chitting's out of fashion at the moment with people questioning the benefit. One thing I know from experience though, is if left in netting bags for too long you have to snap all the growth off to get them out. Why annoy them before they go in the ground? Egg boxes it is.

No, before you ask I do not have a shed
with net curtains. It's my house.

One of the main benefits of Digging On is that it announces seed planting. I've caught up with the winter lettuces and started on some other suggested seed sowing and there's signs of life.

Mr Middleton says: Take digging easy at first, or you may get blisters and lumbago and call the spade anything but a spade.

So at the moment I'm keeping up.