Gardening ups and downs.

As far as the weather is concerned this is turning out to be a very strange spring indeed and both gardeners and commercial growers have been a bit caught off balance by what nature has thrown at us. We started off with a very wet winter turning into the worst kind of cold dry spring. People delayed sowing but eventually the ground warmed up and we got off to a late start. We needed rain but soldiered on and by the first week in May it looked as though things were catching up and the weather returning to a seasonal normal. Bugger me if we don't go and get two nights of what for Southern England in May were exceptionally hard frosts. Many growers had early spuds hammered by the frost. Some will pull through but others will not. I saved my spuds but the runner beans are a write off and will have to be re-sown. Things have been looking better the last couple of days with some much needed rain and warmer days. Mind you, I can't help wondering what if anything the effect of the Icelandic volcanic ash will have on the weather. It's all sent to try us as the old people used to say but whatever the trials and tribulations involved in the raising of plants it remains one of the truly rewarding and calming of human activities. It is with good reason that the Medical Foundation place so much emphasis on the benefits of gardening in helping the victims of torture to rebuild their lives.