When I chose it, the green courgette seedling had open leaves like the yellow variety on the right but, when I came to plant it yesterday, it had clapped its leaves together as if to hide from the world. Still, I planted both seedlings in the place where the compost used to be knowing the ground would have plenty of nutrients. I ‘tucked them up’ with straw mulch and an overnight cover. This morning, the leaves are still closed.

The broccoli, beans and tomato I planted are also tiny and look fragile.

They’ve enjoyed early morning rain and the sun is coming out. It’s a positive, hopeful thing to plant these tiny seedlings!