lettuceJust about everyone around here has a vegetable garden but no one I know grows their vegetables from seed. Instead, they get seedlings at the market or at one of the nurseries. We felt limited by the small selection on sale and so placed a big seed order with the Organic Gardening Catalogue.

But then while we were waiting for our seeds to germinate we broke down and bought a flat of seedlings the Monday market. And now I see why our neighbours do it this way – 40 lettuce seedlings were €2. Yup, 5 cents each. And it doesn’t stop with lettuce: there are peppers, courgettes, tomatoes, aubergines, and many more. One moment you have a piece of tilled ground and 20 minutes later you have a vegetable garden. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s instant gratification. And anyway, it’s better than a big mac.