Bare-cheeked wisdom

When Monty referred to Sarah Raven’s method of assessing early summer soil temperature – “When it was warm enough to eat supper outside” (Full Monty, July issue) – it reminded me of my late grandfather stressing how important this was in order to achieve good germination. However, he explained it with a twinkle in his eye, telling us that one could only confirm the soil was warm enough by sitting on it with a bare behind for 10 minutes – done at 2am, to ensure nobody was about. Now, as an old man myself, I can vouch that if soil surfaces are warm at this time of night, you can sow anything.

John Davies, Wales