It's time to start sowing

Ruth explains how to get the best from your free seeds

- Ruth Hayes

ONE of the side effects of the pandemic was that everyone became very attached to whatever growing space they have. Gardens became so much more than somewhere for the kids to play football and the parents to drink a glass of wine on warm summer evenings.

We became a nation of gardeners and growers, with people not just cultivating their own fruit and veg, but brightening their days by raising and nurturing seed-grown ornamentals.

Last year you sent us photos of flowers grown from the free seeds and we were blown away by the beauty you created.

Now they are back for 2021 and we would love to see how your growing goes. This year’s seeds are a mix of annuals, biennials and perennials, with veg seeds and herbs as well.

Each week I will show you the best ways of sowing each particular variety and as the months progress I will demonstrate pricking out seedlings into larger pots, hardening them off before you plant them out and the best places to put them in the garden.