EAT the season with Sarah Raven
The smell of plants and seedlings and their compost, in the greenhouse or polytunnel, at this time of year is one of the veg gardener’s life enhancers. Open the door or lift the lid of a cold frame and, on a bright, sunny day, you’re hit with that rich, organic smell of soil, mixed with high-cocoa-solids chocolate, plus a dash of sharpness from scented leaf pelargoniums.
That’s our particular Perch Hill blend in the propagator tunnel. I love it and it’s good for the soul. As well as the practical advantage of having some kind of undercover growing system, I’d say it’s worth having one of these spaces, however small, for this smell alone. There’s even a word for it in the English, the smell of rain falling on dry soil.
