Despite the fact that I have only ever been able to successfully grow cress before, I decided it would be a great idea to grow my own plants this year. Even though it seems like such a simple way to spend your time, it didn't feel wasted when watching them grow. There's a sense of achievement and reward in it. In a way it is very therapeutic. Unlike many other endeavours I have written about, this was nothing spontaneous at all, in fact I had been wanting to do this for a long time before going into Wilkos to look at seeds. When I finally got round to buying everything, the entire process cost only around £10. I got off the bus one Thursday afternoon with my seeds, plant pots and compost in my arms and an Eden Project-worthy display in my head.
It is a pretty idiot proof project, however one thing I should point out (which I learnt pretty quickly) is that you don't need to be so scrupulous when planting. If it says "2cm deep in the soil", just guess; it isn't necessary to get a ruler out. It wasn't like I was ever going to enter a Sweet Pea into a competition the first time I upgraded from cress. Read the instructions concerning how far away each plant should be from another and also pay good attention to the amount of water/environment needed. The easiest plants to grow were Dahlias and Geraniums, I would advice starting with those. If you watch some YouTube videos on how to grow each plant then it should go really well.
