Sometimes I just don’t think. Playing Olympic shotput with clods of earth is all very well, but I knew this one would go short when it left my hand. In the way were the squashes I’d put out to harden off. The Black Futsus should be ok, but I’m missing 2 butternuts, a Burgess Buttercup and an Iran squash now.

Lovely god-daughter came to the plot this evening and we put up my/our first ever wigwam. The plastic thing I’d been saving to help with the top was useless – we binned it after 3 of the 8 clips broke. Aeron Purple Star beans were sown at the foot of 3 of the canes and watered in, and Georgian runner beans/Cousin Oliver’s beans by the other 5.  We’ve sown some more beans in pots as insurance just in case mice eat them or one of us (!) sowed the beans a little too deep. It is very exciting as she is ‘doing germination’ at school and wants to take photos in to show her teacher.

The wigwam is called Becca.

At this point nearly a third of my new plot is dug over. There is a LOT of bindweed, creeping buttercup and couch. I am sure I will have missed some roots, but a good amount is getting into my weed bucket. Need to pick up speed though as I can almost hear plants in the greenhouse clamouring to live outside…

Today I had my first digging casualty too. So far I’ve carefully relocated about 10 stag beetle larvae that have tumbled out of the earth. Today I had what I really didn’t want to see – half a stag beetle larva.

In a break from digging I went to inspect plot 100, including my almost obsessive ritual of counting the little quinces. There are now 14, some of which might yet fall off, but I have great hopes of getting at least one at the end of the year. The redcurrants are turning on the Jonkheer van Tets, and there are a few strawberries near to picking.

The spuds are looking really good, the foliage looks like it is dripping over the edge of the beds. The Charlottes in the blue bed are stonking – it must just be better soil in there than in the green one. They were planted after the green bed and are already nearly a foot taller.

The sweetcorn shouldn’t really be planted next to broad beans again – they are shaded from about 2pm onwards. I guess in about a month it won’t matter as they will be out and replaced with brassicas. At least they are a handy windbreak.

In other news, I have significantly reduced my hours at work, so on the up-side I will have time to play on the allotments.