My geraniums are only just flowering.  Everyone else seems to have had geraniums for weeks, but mine took ages to come into leaf, let alone flower.  I grew them from seed, which I was proud of, but frankly I am not much of a gardener.  When the House of Commons is sitting there just is no time to nurture plants, so  during this recess I am dealing with pretty backward specimens.

But I am lucky to have a chance to grow anything.  Gardening gets you outside, and in our busy lives few of us spend enough time outdoors. We care about the outdoor environment.  People  showed that when so many  signed a petition to stop government plans to sell off our forests.  It’s a big part of the reason why I campaigned for better playgrounds in Slough so that children whose homes have no garden can play safely outside. 

But even if you do not have a garden you can get growing. 355 people in Slough are on waiting lists for one of the over 900 allotments, most succeed in getting a plot within about a year. So you can plan what you want to grow while you wait. And for about £20 per year you can have space to grow vegetables,  at a fraction of shop prices.

If like me you don’t fancy your chances as a year round gardener, perhaps you would prefer to join in a tree planting scheme to celebrate the Queens Jubilee next year.  The Woodland Trust have free packs of trees, which will need to be planted in the autumn or spring for community benefit, any group can apply.

Some people get outside through playing or watching sport.  And that has great benefits too.  In fact whatever gets you out there will probably do you good.