Oh I am tired! Double dug 2.4m of the new 4.8m purple bed. Apart from the tree roots it was actually a lot easier than some of the others have been. There are very few weeds and the soil is quite crumbly, though very clay-ey underneath. Half the remainder was part of last year’s potato bed, so should be also pretty straightforward. It’s very pleasant to have some digging that isn’t an awful slog.

Harvested a couple of armsful of nettles for the compost before they all start to flower. Only got stung a little bit.

Wendy wants some of my strawberry runners – this year I really do need to stop the runners earlier. I hate composting good plants, I don’t need any more and I am swiftly running out of people to give them to! Set up hoops for covering the strawberry bed but the netting is buried at the bottom of the shed. Next time I think! Together with setting up the culticave for the peppers and tomatoes as the flat really doesn’t get enough light. Must remember to use something underneath the cave so that weeds don’t grow in like last time.

Slugs have had the fennel, the globe artichokes and the Kent Blue peas. Have to resow. The Trail of Tears beans look like they are shivering up there, and the dwarf beans have gone yellow from cold so those need doing again for just-in-cases. I wonder how long it will be till we have warmer temperatures?

After much umming and ah-ing I’ve decided to put the pear espalier in the bottom strawberry bed – will try to get that done next weekend. Dependent on digging progress.

The basil, cornflowers and poppies are up at home, and I might do some gentle sowing/potting on in a bit, if I can move off the sofa.

Edit to add sowed replacement Thelma Sanders and Potimarron, also sowed White Scallop, Black Futsu and a mystery squash seed i found skulking at the bottom of the tin. Pricked out cosmos, cornflowers.