Steady mizzle today, but, undaunted, I’ve been at the plot for a few hours and have made a small dent in the massive amount of weeding. There are 2 black bin bags full of horsetail and buttercups and the beets/chicoria bed has been thoroughly hand-weeded.

The Jarrahdale squash has been pollinated (selfed) and a Flat White is due to open tomorrow (not selfed), so at least I will have some alternatives to offer for the seed circle if the Geraumon Martinique come to nothing.

My spare saffron dilemma is also sorted. Some are in two 42L trugs, double/treble planted as they are very small and I’ll see what happens. The rest are going to a couple of good homes.

Mum delivered some large cardboard boxes – temporarily shoved in the communal shed as I can’t get in mine right now.  I’ll use them as bed covers this winter, in comparison to leaving beds open to the rain. It would be nice to be able to start work a bit earlier in the year.

I spent a happy half hour shaking dried cerinthe stems for seeds. They are lovely looking flowers, bees love them and slugs don’t, which makes them a universal win in my book. The leftovers were scattered by the pond at the bottom of the field and I hope a few will take there. Amythest DFB have taken their place on the shed’s drying hooks.

In other news, I have a shallot issue. A number of them are rotten, and, from the number of holes and little brown cases, allium leaf miner appears to have invaded more than I thought.  I’ve brought them home to use sharpish. And am crossing fingers that the onions won’t be riddled with them too. Next year I’ll put up an enviromesh tent though that means even more of the plot under netting.

Harvested: some wild plums of dubious ripeness, padron peppers, more aubergines, beetroot and the 3 surviving small celeriac.

Now off to make some bread and some elderberry jelly. I’ve finally found some bushes that don’t seem to be on the local pigeons’ radar.