Early June

We have had some lovely, lovely weather lately although it was also extremely dry. I was beginning to despair of the broad beans ever germinating! Then the weather changed late last week and it turned cold and wet and windy.

Naturally - it did this two or three days after I had planted the kidney, zebra and rattlesnake beans out on the allotment! We didn't have a frost but it was a near run thing. Fortunately, they seem to have survived unscathed. But I put back my plans to plant out the cucurbits. Alas - they are still in the propagating tent. It's been too wet and cold to plant them out. But they're going to have to go in soon. They're beginning to look a bit cramped in the tent. Only one of the courgettes has really flourished. So I've planted one each of the six varieties I have seeds for. This is rather more courgette plants than I really need. But we can have lots of very tiny courgettes - if they all survive. I've also planted some watermelon seeds. Two of them have germinated. I've never grown watermelons before!

The garden is looking still quite dishevelled. It's been a good growing year so all the weeds and seeds from the bird table are doing just as well as the plants. I really must get out and clear it all up. I have flower plants to plant out! Mind you - the wildflowers along the brick path are looking extraordinarily cheerful.

Last year I bought at vast expense some sweet potato slips, only half of which survived and none of which did well. This year I planted a tuber I bought at the supermarket in a pot. Eventually it pushed up leaf stems. Last weekend I pulled some of the stems and found they had nice, well-established root systems (unlike last year's slips). I put half in pots with potting compost and half in a jar of water. They all look remarkably happy. I shall plant them all out on the allotment this weekend and see how they fare. I am hopeful that this year, if we have even a half decent autumn - we might get some sweet potatoes. But even if we don't, the expenditure of one out of a packet of tubers is hardly going to break the bank!

The Builder has planted out his runner beans. They look happy too. I think everything is very pleased to see some rain