We had quite a productive weekend, garden-wise. The Builder went up to the allotment on Saturday and slashed down the above-waist high grass, nettles, docks and other stuff. We can see where we're going now!

He has also finished digging over the bed at the very bottom of the allotment. I have planted 8 rows of sweet corn seeds down there. I also planted another 4 rows of Hurst Greenshaft peas. There's room for four more rows of peas on that bed - but I have 500g of pea seeds left. I think I may need to plant the rest of them in what's left of the sweet corn bed. The sweet potato slips are in the bean bed. Everything is looking quite cheery except for one of the melon plants which is struggling a bit.

The Builder has made a start on digging the next bed. But it is heavy going and he had to stop because his back was beginning to complain. So we went home and he started clearing out the bed which has cabbages in it. His back really objected to that. He had to stop altogether and sit in the sunshine and drink medicinal beer.

I have made a start clearing the wheat and barley and stuff out of the flower bed, and began cutting back the intractable grass which is covering the strawberries. There is a great deal more clearing to be done, though. I figure half an hour each evening (when it is not raining) should do it.

The red currants are oh-so, oh-so nearly ready. A pot or two of red currant jelly is in the offing.

And we discovered that there is an elder tree at the bottom of our allotment. With loads and loads of flowers. The Builder harvested about half of them - which are now in a plastic box with all the stuff necessary to turn them into a sparkling elderflower drink for next summer. The other half we'll leave for making elderberry cordial later - or maybe even elderberry wine. So no need to sneak down the lane to the sewage farm at the crack of dawn and nick their elderflowers!