The thrill of germination

One of my favourite parts of gardening is planting seeds and watching them grow: spotting the first green shoots breaking out of the compost and expanding to meet the sunlight. My first seeds of the year have just begun this process, in the warm confines of my windowsill propagator. So far the lettuce-leaved basil (courtesy of the excellent Vida Verde) and my red tomato seeds (gardener's delight) are the only ones to have seen the light of day, about 4 days after planting.

This superb HDRA book recommends stroking seedlings gently if they are being grown under cover, to emulate the breeze, helping them to gain strength and not become leggy. I tend to fail to stroke, on the grounds that: a) my neighbours will look at me strangely if they see me standing at the windowsill stroking seedings and b) I just don't have time. So the seedlings will just have to make their way in the world without my caresses.