It’s that time of the year when we place those little packages of energy into the soil and watch as they emerge – transformed into growing plants. In my greenhouse there are courgettes, squashes, peppers, chillies, leeks, tomatillo, even a few tomatoes (which I am hopeless at growing). But I have been thinking about the other sorts of seeds that I have been sowing… giving away plants and seeds to encourage other people to produce even a little bit of food, sharing ideas about sustainability through this blog and other electronic media, teaching permaculture and ecology. I wonder what will germinate from those activities and whether I will ever know.

Perhaps I am most delighted by my sister – a confirmed non-gardener until a few years ago when I started supplying her with small plants: just courgettes, tomatoes and peppers at first (all things she loves to eat). Then a friend in France gave her pumpkin seeds, and now she is growing raspberries and rocket, strawberries and squashes, potatoes and plums and much, much more.

So if you have spare plants, extra seeds or good ideas, share them out and watch as they grow!