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I have been to the plot a couple of evenings this week, and befriended a fox. A sign of my loneliness, or possibly to exorcise my fear of him scaring the living daylights out of me by jumping out of nowhere, I started talking to Mr Tod when he turns up just before sunset. Running away…

For the first time in four years I have managed some succession sowing, so I should be sorted with salad leaves most of the summer. In April I had sowed some misticanza leaves in one of my two plastic “tents” for protection. By the time I came back from holiday in mid-May, they were ready…

I have not written for the best of a month, what with my exam and – after that – some longed-for holidays. The plot is not in bad shape, probably because it did not rain so much as to set the weeds on rampage (not even nettles!), but just enough to get the crops going.…

Weather is glorious, but no rain means a lot of watering needed, and seedlings wilting away. I had to make some rhubarb jam, as the plants have decided to grow this year, and very fast… incidentally they are bolting with all this heat, and it’s impossible to stop, so after chopping three buds, I’ve given…

It was warm, unbelievably so: in the greenhouse 35C/100F made it very uncomfortable to work, and outside plenty of water was required to keep you going. But glorious. Flowers. Butterflies. Fragrances. Even a new pollinator I had never seen before, like a small bee. Unfortunately I had no camera with me. Most of the seeds I’ve…

All charged up for having completed my uni essays, I went to the plot to tackle the big remaining task: the old, derelict shed, sheltering ratsand who knows what else. Armed with a dust mask and a crowbar, I descended on the offending pile of rubbish, and at the end of the morning all was…

The most gorgeous weekend saw me against the hollies on the allotment boundary bank once again: my neighbour Louis should be very happy as he will be able to grow stuff up to almost the top of his new plot – and hopefully my shed will not mould and rot with its contents. My arms…