There is no sound more satisfying than the patter of spring rain on the glass of the potting shed while seeds are being sown. In early spring, the nursery comes alive. Our shelves fill up with seed trays, bags of peat-free compost, and handwritten labels.
This week, we have been sowing our first batches of cottage wildflowers, including Columbine (*Aquilegia vulgaris*) and Field Scabious (*Knautia arvensis*). We carefully track germination rates and keep our tunnels unheated to make sure the young plants grow strong, stocky stems rather than tall, weak ones. It is busy, messy work, but seeing the first green shoots emerge makes it all worthwhile.