I have a cunning plan...
Winter is a challenging time for the green-fingered. At times, we're filled with warm Hygge feelings of snugness. As T. S. Eliot wrote in The Waste Land : Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in forgetful snow, feeding A little life with dried tubers . At other times Winter takes its toll, with long nights, biting winds, and the daily 'thwoosh' as a jet of dirty water shoots up your leg from one of the city's many uneven paving slabs. (When T. S. wrote that April is the cruellest month , he had clearly not been to Manchester in January). However, while Winter rages on and nature hibernates, there is a chink of light for the urban gardener. Around this time of year, tons of gardening catalogues land in the post and my inbox is cluttered with tens of emails advertising 20% off hoes and gnomes. At my most cynical, I could see this as pure capitalist opportunism. But it's also a wake-up call: a call to plan . I love planning. A couple of months a...