BREATHE a deep sigh of relief – I have finally done it. I have put something in the ground other than just a spade.

For the last few weeks I have had to endure friends’ stories of potato and parsnip planting and my anxiety levels have started to rise.

Now, I’ve gone off too soon before and know the pitfalls, but surely a few mange tout in the ground can’t hurt?

But nothing is ever simple on the plot. A wise woman of the allotment tells me, after I have planted them, that the mice will have been watching my every move and recommends chicken wire.

I am reminded that although the sun is shining it is a war out there. It may look lovely but there is always a pest lurking around the corner waiting to feast on fresh seeds.

Retreat to the relative safety of the kitchen to plant first trays of lettuce, celeriac and sweetcorn. Plants indoors are not entirely secure. True, the outside pests can’t get them, but they do have to survive the possibility of a child’s rucksack or shoe landing on them.

Husband has given me strict instructions this year on how to stop the kitchen floor resembling a squat. "Put all your seed trays into cardboard boxes for ease of transportation and neatness," he tells me.

On protesting that I don’t have any boxes he produces a selection that he has saved throughout the winter.

Am glad to have married such an organised man but also a bit scared. Consider declaring one room of the house my "random room". A space where I can let my true haphazard self loose.

As for potatoes I will wait for a few weeks. The sight of black frosted top potato plants has made me weep before now and I will not risk it again.