June 20th

We have begun eating from the kitchen garden and from the allotment. I am not counting the rhubarb, cos that was there when we arrived. But we have started pulling shallots (a bit young) from the allotment and are now picking peas from the garden. We've had two pickings of them with our dinner this last week. Plus, we are munching on raspberries, strawberries (at leas I am munching on the strawberries) and cherries as we amble about. The strawberries are netted, but the raspberries and cherries are not and so far the birds are not being troublesome. The slugs, on the other hand, are. The birds have decided that we have been putting the oatmeal down for their benefit. AS fast as we put it down, they scoff it! We still do put it down, but the slugs are more or less winning. So The Builder has launched a salt warfare upon them. He's our there day and night, compulsively trickling salt over them, especially when it is raining.

In the meantime, I have moved my very tiny yellow pepper and cape gooseberry seedlings indoors to protect them from slug attack. They are slowly, slowly growing.

All is doing well on the allotment. The onions, shallots and potatoes seem fit and healthy. And I have now planted some large tomatoes in the greenhouse. They are settling in well. I've kept some back to plant in the garden, just to see what happens. The cherry tomato plants in the garden are looking very happy.

Oh - and finally, finally, FINALLY the sweet corn and kidney beans have germinated. No sign yet of the soya beans. Might germinate them in the greenhouse next year. In fact, I might germinate a number of things in the greenhouse. The propagating tents weren't very successful this year. I think they're a bit shaded.

We aren't going to get the brassica beds dug for this year on the allotment. I shall plant them between the broad beans and summer beans. They'll be all right for this year. Then that gives us the autumn and winter to dig the next bit of the allotment