Well goodness. We actually managed to get into the garden on Sunday morning. The Builder has pulled up the runner bean plants, the sweet corn and the courgette and chopped them up for the compost heap. He also planted the new asparagus crowns which arrived during the week and cut down the fronds of the spring planted plants. We need to manure that bed now.

In the meantime, I've planted out the garlic cloves, in between the cabbage rows. My one little cauli is looking very sorry for itself. I'm hoping that the others will flower in due course and not go quite so brown and squidgy before I get a chance to pick them! The cabbages are doing well. And the tiny, tiny sprouts are finally starting to grow. A bit. They're about the size of a small little finger fingernail now!!

The Builder has now boarded up the front of the third greenhouse where the ground drops away at the bottom, so it's now fairly draught-proof. Barb sent us a small orange tree for our joint Christmas present a couple of weeks ago. We've now planted that at the back of the greenhouse, next to the kiwifruit vine. I might plant the Cape Gooseberries in there next year too. A Fruit Greenhouse :-)

While all this was going on, I made a start on clearing the flower beds. Most of the oats are now gone, I've pruned the lavender, rosemary and hyssop. I didn't get to do any proper weeding, though. The rain came in before I had chance. Perhaps next Sunday! I have planted up two more planters with pansies and jonquils for out the front, and a couple of small tubs for by the back door. I've also got some pansies in one of the hanging baskets and some primroses in the other.

The Builder made a brave dash to the allotment before it went dark in the afternoon. Alas - the capsicums had gone soft and the beans had wilted. There were a few Cape Gooseberries but that was all. I shall start all the beans and things off earlier next year, I think. I am tempted to buy a small heated propagator so I can get the seeds set in January or February. No need for them to be planted out then, but if we have a late summer and an early winter there isn't time for things to mature properly. (Memo to self: Do NOT be tempted by gorgeous spring weather to plant things out to early. It nearly always leads to disaster!!)