It’s getting crowded in here: 5 chillies on the bedroom windowsill, 4 more on the landing with 2 cape gooseberries for company, 2 aubergines in the spare room (with fruit on *smugface*). Him Indoors just sighs now. Which is good, because there are 2 habaneros and 2 lemondrops still up in the cultcave and I plan on sneaking them home somehow…

I managed 3 hours up at the plot today, and looking at the weather forecast I’m very glad that I did. My surviving kale and winter spinach is in the ground finally, but they are covered in whitefly and have been a bit slugged. Used up the last of my blue pellets to keep the slimers at bay for a bit, but I am a little dismayed at how many slug eggs I am turning over.

Those and acorns. Bleedin’ squirrels have been busy using my lovely beds as an easy pantry. And the birdfeeders are empty again. A squirrel baffle has been duly ordered and I wonder how long it will take them to figure that one out!

I had a quick check on the swedes and celeriac. They really are feeble. The swedes are long & thin and the celeriac are aspiring to golf-ball size. Not my finest effort really. Mebbe I just had a brown-thumbed moment. Like with the leeks…

As well as planting and weeding I’ve attacked the blackthorn & had better not wear anything sleeveless for a while! It’s grown over 3ft in a year, which means my plot was in shade again with the sun now so much lower. I forgot how much it changes position…Now there’s a nice pile of clippings for our fireworks bonfire, and I really hope I haven’t annoyed those who took umbrage last time. Phew!

It was nice to see some neighbours – Lionel’s still digging out layers of carpet from his new plot and pickaxing the ground underneath. I hope he takes it more slowly, he looked absolutely knackered. Josephine was up too and gave me some gorgeous pears – I need to take her some sloes to say thanks. And the pallet compost bin on the neighbouring plot has been turned 180 degrees, which is so much better than it was. Next door is giving up I think. It’s a tough plot to keep going, it’s boggy, on very heavy clay, under a large oak that can’t be touched and covered in horsetail. And it’s even bigger than mine.