Why a May Day celebration?

The 1st of May. So we all have a day off work and celebrate with a barbecue and don't stop to remember that the holiday is really about the coming of summer and fertilty for the crops. It's not a surprise that so many of the old customs and festivals are connected with fertilty, our ancestors depended on the land or the hunt for their survival.

I believe modern mankind has almost forgotten that we still depend on growing crops and tending animals. It's as simple as that.

This Beltane I'll be raising a glass to the smallholders, the beekeepers, the gardeners and allotment holders, all the lovely low impact dippy hippies of the world, anyone, in fact, who is quietly living in a responsible way. Stick together guys, we need you.

Happy gardening