For a long time I have been so keen to get into growing my own food, but one this has been holding me back: my irrational phobia of slugs and snails. I've dreamt up many ways I can combat this, such as a moat of snail pellets around each pot of plants, but I've just got to get on with it. So in April, enthused by watching The Big Allotment Challenge, I headed down to the garden centre with Mum and selected mint, lemon thyme and chive to plant up. The key things are to pop a stone over the drainage hole so the compost doesn't fall out and make sure you're generous with the compost and the plants are snug in the pot. The herbs sit on the window sill just outside the kitchen door in our flat, and now we can use them in our cooking. Sometimes I cut some stems and keep them fresh in a jam jar of fresh water. We've had the lemon thyme in a carrot and red pepper soup, the chives in salads and the mint in a pea and mint frittata and in a refreshing summer drink.
Looking back: in January I started to learn to swing.
