British gardeners don’t know if they’re coming or going this week. In a period of seven days, we’ve had sunshine, rain, hail, snow and sunshine again. But, with normality restored this weekend, it gave me the chance to get a few jobs done.

As you may know, we now have a wildlife pond, which was built last year. Next to it, I created a raised garden which has now been officially named ‘Blossom Hill’. This was Soph’s suggestion, not because she likes a glass of the vino with the same name, but because it’s the first area in the garden to blossom every year because of our cherry plum trees. With the sunshine on my back, I took the opportunity to get some plants in the ground here. A few were bought, but many have been happily growing in the garden. So, it was a question of digging them up and dividing and replanting where I want to see colour this year. Like most gardeners, we always have unused seed packets lying around, so favourites like cornflower, ammi majus, chamomile and creeping thyme were scattered in the area. If they germinate, hurrah! If not, they were out of date packets so nothing has been lost.

In the kitchen garden, there’s been several improvements over recent weeks. As well as a new fruit cage, I’ve added a few more raised beds, topped them up with Dalefoot peat-free veg compost and filled-in several old inspection chambers, to a disused septic tank, with rubble and topsoil. Sitting at the entrance to the kitchen garden, they’ve always been an eyesore for me, something I kept meaning to deal with but never getting round to it. Well, finally they’re gone! Down the line, I might turn the old tank into a water storage unit, but right now I don’t have enough days in the week to take on another project.

When the weather hasn’t been too cold, I’ve been hiding myself away in the greenhouse doing one of the most therapeutic tasks I always enjoy: sowing seeds. The only other thing that comes this close for me, is potting on tomatoes – which, by the way, I did last Friday.

Looking out through the greenhouse, I can see there are signals spring is trying to send winter packing. Buds are forming, rhubarb is growing and sprouting broccoli is a regular feature on our dinner plate. But, it’s still early days, so there’s no need to rush out and do everything at once. You might be twitching to sow, grow and pot on, but if the weather isn’t playing ball, sometimes you can do more harm than good. Seeds fail to germinate, seedlings become leggy, and sometimes plants succumb to the cold. Remember, winter isn’t going down without a fight, and he’s happy to take all your hard work with him. So, be patient.

March is currently a battleground for the changing seasons, but it’s a time of year I always enjoy. Snow might be falling, wind maybe howling, but I can really forget myself on days like this. Daily worries and stresses seem to melt away when I’m out in the elements, it’s all very grounding.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, it’s trying to snow again.

Keep Warm Folks!