I have an admission to make.

It was about this time last year that I was digging over the first patch of the allotment. It was the Easter holidays so I was spending a good amount of time at the plot. The first of the veg was coming through and the strawberry plants were in. The only problem was… it was too dry.

The young plants were drying out; the soil was baked hard making digging even more of a chore than it usually is. And here is the guilt… I said to one of my fellow allotmenteers “I hope it rains soon”.

History records that the following summer was a complete washout. I fear my unsolicited comments played a part in the lost summer. I haven’t told anyone about this until now.

So I’m also nervous about what I am about to say now. I’m a bit fed up with frosty mornings and pouring rain. My seedlings are trying to outgrow their pots. They’re raring to go. So I want it to get hotter.

There, I said it. In case anyone who has any influence over the weather is reading this, I don’t want it too hot, so that my plants wilt. Nor do I want it too dry, so that they wilt even more. When it has to rain, then it can do so during the week (but not on bank holidays). Not too much to ask, is it?

The tomatoes, peppers and chilies are well away and want to get going properly. So do I.

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