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 or ignoring me were his first responses.

Yesterday, though, he was a bit more sociable, and even posed for me, at a safe distance (bigger pictures on Flickr).

I think we like him, as we have a hope he might chase rats away.

Besides the fox, wildlife is thriving, I even spotted a striped bumblebee I had never seen before!

Although I spend a comparative little time on the plot, the experience of the last few years seem to have resulted in more going happening: I have veg at all stages of development: from the brassicas who have just germinated, through the broccoli white eye that I potted on last week, the courgettes I planted out yesterday and the tomatoes and aubergines that, outside and in the tent respectively, are growing on, to my successionally growing salad.

Fruit also provides a varied landscape: from the wines that are prolifically flowering, through the strawberries that are overwhelmingly being prey to birds despite the cover, to the almost ready gooseberries and the raspberries, whose first few we enjoyed this week.

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 to pick, and – hoping they might be cut and come again (the packet did not say) – I cut about a fifth of them leaving about 1 cm at the soil level, instead of pulling them out. Just to be sure in case they would not come again, though, I also sowed some into the other tent and…

Yeah! They did come back, so – as I picked another fifth – the first one is regrowing. In addition to that, the other bed is starting to germinate right now, two weeks on. This is great, and the first time I manage to do it successfully.

Pity I have not managed to do the same with rocket (it did not come up for two months and is just starting now to germinate, quite erratically) or radish (it bolted rather than swell at the root). I will leave both to self-seed. Last year leaving poorly germinated rocket to self-seed was the best thing I did, as it came back with a very decent crop the second time round, more or less September time. However that is not enough: I want more. If I manage to go a bit more often to the plot now, I will try some more direct sowing.

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.

Yesterday I picked a meter -ong asparagus, that was not even too woody all considered, and there is salad ready for next time I manage to pop in. The pumpkins I had planted out just before going away got frosted on their first night out but have done very well after that, and I will not praise enough the rather rough “Botanico” small growhouses I bought on Greenfingers.com (apparently no longer in stock 🙁 ) which have turned out to be deeply loved by the seedlings (or maybe it’s just the position they are in, under some blackthorns that shade them a bit).  Most seedling are in perfect shape, not least because of the precious help of lovely Carol, who has taken care of my greenhouses while I was away.

Hubby’s plot has a pretty grassed area covered in Veronica persica: speedwell (which I have always known before today as little Virgin Mary’s eyes, as my mother used to call it), and Leuchantemum vulgare: oxeye daysies.

Looking forward to a summer of gardening, now.

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 up.

Asparagus, also, has started to make good spears four years from planting: unfortunately, asparagus beetles (Crioceris asparagi) have noticed too! Here they are chomping away… I must say that the spears that have grown through a patch of self-seeded parsley were left alone, though: maybe companion planting is the answer. In the meantime, I have killed the offending pretty little nasties.

My first ever artichoke has also appeared on last year’s plant – actually two of them – they are a great temptation, but I will follow Mark Diacono’s advice in his book “Veg patch“: I will be brave and chop them off so the plant will concentrate on the root system instead 🙁

The plot looks lush: even my neighbour Keith noticed it’s looking at its best ever.

The home pond is also joy: frogs, tadpoles and newly emerged damselflies have been joined by newts! I do not have a good picture, and I have not had time to check which species it is, but here’s a blurry snap. All the creatures I had created my ponds for have now moved in: I’m happy!

But I am officially behind schedule once again, with my uni exam fast approaching, and the drought is not making it any easier to manage… that is one of the reasons I have not been writing much; however, you can follow the unfolding of spring in my gardens on the photo album.

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 sown since March have germinated: finally on top of the time schedule, I have already potted on artichokes, Calendula and basil. Hubby’s new little greenhouse came in very handy, and I have made a makeshift one with a spare wire basket trolley and some large bubble wrap: should be fine I hope.
And the last trench to sow potatoes is ready and weeded.

At home, spawn in the pond is alive and developing: I’m so glad.

Most of my seedlings and plantlets, nurtured over the last few years but which did not find a permanent place in the garden and plot, have finally fled the nest and been driven to a new home. As I was worried that several were becoming pot-bound, I contacted Richard, the mind behind the Guerrilla Gardener movement, who was passing by – it is good to know that my loved plants will end up making some derelict place more beautiful. I may see them again, thriving in the soil, on the website pictures!

The garden is now tidier, even if I still haven’t mowed the lawn, so at the end of a long day, I sat there enjoying it and realised I really look forward to the end of my uni exam so that I can pick up horticulture once again…

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 clean and tidy, and all nesting insects were exposed much to the enjoyment of a friendly robin.
Next step will be to transfer the compost heap there, so that I can free precious planting space in a spot that is now sunny, after the hollies have been cut back. At this time of the year any hybernating creatures should have left the heap, so it’s ideal.

A productive weekend, I managed to find on Harrod’s website the greenhouse door wheels that I needed to fix my wobbly door once and for all. They also have greenhouse shelves, which come quite handy at this time of the year, when my greenhouse is full and bursting with propagators. They should work on all greenhouse models, will try them at the weekend.

I have only been once in the evenings of this first week of BST, but I got my first crop of rhubarb. And for dinner on Sunday, my second crop, nettles, went into a delicious omelette!

— Post From My iPhone

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 look much worse for the wear but my heart is singing! ;p

Sowed more potatoes and discovered than more artichokes than expected have made it through the winter, even if quite battered: what a surprise! The cardoon is also resurrecting from its ashes – so to speak – and the first of hubby’s peas are emerging with strenght.

The water taps have been opened, and just as well, because we are going through a dry spell, and both of my waterbutts are empty.

The plots looks nice and tidy and this is the week I can start my evening gardening: hurray!

— Post From My iPhone