After a few cold weeks and very little happening in my greenhouse more and more seeds are germinating and starting to reach out of the ground for the sun.

April and May are traditionally my sowing months but for the last few years I’ve been trying to extend the season with my greenhouse and heated bed. This year has been the most successful so far which I’ve put down to 3 things which have nothing to do with the plants or the weather, but more about me.

1. Get organised during winter. Most years I’ve not wanted to get out and start working in the garden because the greenhouse and shed are a mess and I don’t have the equipment or compost available. I’ve used all of these things as excuses for not doing anything o lying to feel disappointed with how the year has gone. This winter I prepared the greenhouse ready for sowing and caring for the young plants as well as making sure I already have the kit I need.

2. Set simple, easy to achieve goals. I’ve never been big into setting small meaningful goals but far more about setting a big ambitious target which fells good to say but hard to deliver (that’s if I even set a goal in the first place). My wife started putting goals onto our kitchen blackboard and made me put mine on too. I set a goal of starting to sow in February and I’ve done it.

3. Making a start. One of the hardest things to do is make start. There are so many other things that are designed to grab my attention. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and may other things are at my finger tips and I’m as guilty as many of sinking hours into social media. Work is an easy excuse too. I could quite easily just come home, eat and go to bed but i wouldn’t get much done if I did that. This year I’ve pushed myself to make a start and to keep going.

These three things have really made a difference and I now have a good crop of broad beans on the go along with a range of other vegetables. I also have beds ready to receive plants as soon as its warm enough to sow directly into the ground. This is the most prepared I’ve been and I’m starting to see the benefit.