Looking from my patio window.

With a mug of coffee in hand, I wandered to the patio door to see what the day was doing and glanced at my lovely raised beds and could see green shoots!

No, not an economic recovery – but real green shoots coming out of the ground! I was so excited. Hardly dressed for gardening, I had to venture out in my dressing gown and wellies, hoping that the neighbours were not up yet to witness this fashion disaster and take a closer look.

The red onions have straight shoots coming from the centre of them and there are broad bean shoots coming too. I am a very happy and confident gardener. Now the question is, will I have one onion from one onion set or more than one? I need to ask some gardening friends this question.

I had a blonde moment this week when talking to a gardening friend on this subject. When spacing the onion sets – how do the onions know how close they are to each other? ‘After all’ I said, ‘they don’t have brains do they!’ ‘No’, my friend replied ‘it’s their roots touching each other than tells them’. Now please keep this blonde moment to yourself won’t you. I actually have lots of these, I can afford to share one with you.

Now, I hardly dare mention my broccoli power food with you. Deep disappointment I’m afraid.

They don’t seem very forgiving on the watering front is all I can say. I have forgotten to water them on only two occasions, but they don’t look anything like the picture in the Marshalls catalogue. More like spindly cress. They taste like cress too and I think you would have to eat tons of the stuff to get any real benefit on the ‘power food’ front.

Try them for yourselves if you want to and let me know. Maybe it’s the time of year, because I do think they would be a lot happier in my Access garden frame in the spring than on my window sill in December.