On winter and hibernation

Bunnies, of course, don't hibernate. I will admit, however, to a certain lack of energy in the winter months. I've come to recognise over the years that my energy levels are very much in tune with my garden - when it slows and sleeps, so do I. How Zen-bunny is that?

It used to bother me: why didn't I feel like leaping out there and getting those waiting garden jobs done? Had I suddenly morphed into the world's laziest lagomorph?

These days I know that very soon after mid-winter I start to feel the energy waking in my paws - and by early spring you can't stop me from getting out there and digging.

So I don't worry about it any more. After all, there really isn't any other time in the garden year when you can just let things be for a while and know that it's all resting, just like you.

I can make sure I pop out and plant my garlic and broad beans on a sunny day. I know the brassicas won't go over the top if I don't eat them today, because they're chillin' with me and doing what they do slowly in my "natural fridge." If I don't clean the bean frames off, or if I leave the corn stalks standing in a fallow bed, it's not a problem: it may not look the neatest but it's protecting the soil and providing homes for some of the wee overwintering bugs that share my world. Best of all, I can enjoy the warmth of my burrow while plotting and dreaming about the spring and summer months.

By the time it's prudent to start thinking about early crops like peas, spring onions and carrots (mmmm, carrots) , my enthusiasm for getting my paws into the soil is well up and growing.