My endeavour to keep our new small Hampshire garden low-cost and environmentally sound continues. The guiding principle of “home-sown” rather than nursery-grown plantings has been mightily tested by ever-tempting spring stock lists, and I’m still searching for a thrifty yet water-based weatherproofing paint for the boundary fence. But rich compost has appeared like manna from the composter, and the makeshift cold frame has done its job, bringing frost-vulnerable sowings through the short, dark days and out into the vernal sunshine.
The weather has not been easy, with winter delivering the lamentable combination of sharp cold spells broken by unseasonably
