Anyone else absolutely itching for spring? Here in Scotland, the mornings and evenings are stretching out just that little bit longer. There are a few milder days scattered through the week and, on weekend walks with the kids, we’ve started spotting tiny green shoots pushing through. It feels like the garden is waking up and, with it, I’m starting to plot what might be in store for my little growing space this year.
I know I’ll shuffle things around a little under the guise of crop rotation. But if I’m honest, I don’t treat it that seriously. In theory, crop rotation is a brilliant idea. In reality and in a small back garden in Scotland? There’s only so much shuffling you can actually do. I used to stress about it but I’ve made my peace with the fact that my growing space doesn’t allow for textbook four-bed rotation systems. Instead, I focus on trying to ensure that my soil is as healthy as possible by adding plenty of compost each year to top up our no dig beds and avoiding the exact same heavy feeders in the exact same spot where possible. It doesn’t always work out that way and when I first started growing my own, it worried me. Honestly though, it hasn’t caused any noticeable disasters. Sometimes gardening advice doesn’t quite fit smaller spaces, and I reckon that’s fine.
As I start planning properly, I’ve also begun sowing a few early seeds. It’s definitely not the time to sow everything. It’s early March and there’s still plenty of time to get going, especially here on the East Coast. For now I’ve sown onions, spinach, early peas, sweetpeas and peppers. My potatoes (tatties) are also chitting, which definitely means that warmer and longer days are on their way.
My main growing space at this time of year is a west-facing bay window that also catches light from the south. It’s surprisingly bright on a clear day and the seedlings seem quite happy there. I don’t use heat mats; instead, I rotate trays regularly to encourage even growth and leave seedlings on the windowsill overnight where it’s cooler, which seems to help prevent legginess. Yes, this does mean I spend parts of my morning rearranging trays like some sort of slightly obsessed plant stage manager. Yes, I moan about it. Yes, my husband looks at me like I’ve lost the plot. But jeezo, it’s just good to be growing again. I like to think that this plant shuffle is my warm up for the late spring greenhouse tetris that I’ll inevitably be playing when I have too much growing and they love the daytime sun and warmth of the greenhouse… but still need to be tucked up overnight.
Despite the challenges of spring, I do think it’s my favourite season. Of course, I love the sunshine and bountiful harvests of summer… but, even by early summer, I often feel slightly overwhelmed trying to keep up with watering, feeding and general plant wrangling. But right now? This is just beautiful. The ‘waiting for spring’ weeks let me really appreciate the anticipation. The tiny hooks of peas emerging. The stubborn pause before peppers show signs of life. The steady confidence of onions pushing up in neat green lines, often with their little hats still on. It feels manageable, steady, rewarding and absolutely full of possibility.
What have you started sowing this month? And if you’ve got a small garden, do you manage proper crop rotation or are you adapting the rules a little like me?
