I wonder if we should have a little talk about excess. Being a novice, I find it impossible to gauge how many of my seeds will work or not – and have little idea in advance of the size of the subsequent plant. I also panic and resow if I cannot see any seedlings within a couple of weeks.

As a result I now have 15 chilli bushes under way, 13 aubergine plants which I imagine are going to be quite big – we have never grown them before – and no fewer than an amazing 53 basil seedlings. That’s a hell of a lot of pasta sauce. I suspect the more advanced gardener is better than I am at throwing away a weak seedling. I cannot do it, so pleased (and astonished) am I still to have grown anything at all, that I throw every one into the pots.

Fortunately, outside the greenhouse we are going to great lengths to avoid over-sowing, and are planting bit by bit by bit in the hope that we do not get the sudden glut of beans or peas which we had last year. The over-winter broad beans are already out and in my tummy, very delicious too, a month earlier than last year – another message about global warming, this time from a small green bean. They are also tipping over in the wind and under the weight of the pods, so for the next lot that are coming through now, I have constructed a cat’s cradle of string and strong sticks in the hope that it will give them some support.

That was a tip from Sarah Wain, our expert adviser. She visited again at the end of April and we got a sort of C plus.Oddly, everything I think is going bloomingly, like the pea and tomato plants she criticises (“leaning”), while the things that worry me (blackfly on the broad beans) she dismisses with a “can’t be perfect”.

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Chelsea Flower Show 2007 winners

Find out if your favourite garden won a gold at this year's show

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Diarmuid Gavin plays it safe at this year's Chelsea Flower Show

Horticultural revolutionary Diarmuid Gavin is nothing if not controversial. But for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, he seems to be hedging his bets

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Well, nothing in the garden is ever perfect, but I’m clinging like a runner bean to the belief that it’s usually good enough. Out of chaos I can see order developing – even if I can’t see a free weekend in sight. Does anyone else get a bit resentful of that at this time of year? I’d love to know whether more experienced gardeners than I bother to earth up their potatoes.

I know that it is back-breaking and time-consuming, but is it really necessary? Post your views.

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