Today was all about breaking up the new ground for a bed or two. The blackthorn is tenacious and resisted even the mattock we borrowed. And there is also hardcore and more carpet…I am really starting to loathe carpet. We got the roots up, and the carpet, for the 9m x 1m fruit bed, and I dug another 2m of trench to fill with woodchip. The trench is lined with membrane and filled with chips to a depth of about 15-20cm. The plot isn’t level, so levelling the bed will be another day of fun…

Had a good old nosey and chat around the site to see what other people are doing. Other than the couple right at the bottom, who’ve had their plot so long they seem to be working black gold, most are at about the same stage as me. Which is a relief! Lots of new people up at the site again, all busy clearing.

My PSB is finally doing something – I have 2 survivors from 15 plants, the others drowned, so I am hoping this will be good!

Weeded the broad bean bed and fed them, and had a gorgeous robin 3 inches from my hand for about 5 minutes. That was without doubt the best bit of the day!

My lovely neighbour gave me a huge armful of rhubarb from his triffid. Very tasty!

Seed and seedling update:
Balcony: this is now housing garlic, leeks, cornflowers, cosmos, poached egg plants, wild garlic, carrots and tomatoes, though the latter come in at night.

Windowsill: (most things here need potting on/feeding/both) 4 aubergines (one committed Sudden Seedling Suicide), 5 cape gooseberries, chillies (chenzo, habanero, jalapeno and lemon drop), countless celeriac and more poached egg plants, about 60 beetroot, 18 kohlrabi, 20ish summer PSB, sunflowers, courgettes, squash (butternuts, patty pans and thelma sanders), cucumbers, cucamelons, gherkins, sunflowers.

Kitchen windowsill has 60 rudbeckia, 21 tubes of sweetcorn, dwarf beans and a rescued basil pot.

Propagator: sunflowers, spinach, quince seeds, squash sweet dumpling, fennel, rosemary (which I’m about to give up on) – need to look at my seed lists and see what needs to go in there next.