A visit in the evening on a rare non-raining, non-windy day, not the warmest but quite calming all the same. I wanted to put the last bit of netting up on the fruit cage before the birds worked out that they could just fly in through the side. I was able to do this even though the netting was a pig to work with, constantly getting caught on the smallest of things and totally tangled. While I did complete the netting it was a shame that I could not save the left over for something else. By the time I had finished, what was left was a tangled mess, I don’t know how fisherman do it with their nets (maybe/certainly it is different stuff!)

I did a small bit of hoeing, checked on the parsnip seedlings (all good) and the carrot seedlings (all good). Noted the potatoes growing a lot and decided now I had completed the fruit cage (been on the list since September) it would be time to focus on the fence around the plot. I’m sure if the plot were more in the middle of the site and not on the edge out of the way, people would be complaining about the falling down wire fencing swaying over onto and blocking the path. Also, since a lockdown world, whoever used to strim the grass is no longer doing it, off of find a cheap petrol strimmer…

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I revisited on the bank holiday Monday, having first had a very good sausage and bacon roll + coffee from the local cafe on the beach. It was destined to be the hottest day of the year so far (a bit different to previous weekends then!) and so us arriving at the plot just before midday was probably not the best, but it was nice to be out in the sun. Not so nice for the owner of a poorly parked car on a tight corner along the dirt track up to the plot. I had to do some pretty skilful manoeuvres but it was clear by the broken rear light on the floor and scratches along the side that others had not done so.

We have been slowly taking up bits of the old decking from home up to the plot, I’ll use them around the plot over time. Today we took up a whole lot more and I’m thinking I will have to start making use of them before the pile gets too big.

On the list of things to do was cutting some of the long grass that makes the path quite hard to walk along. Rachael spent time doing that, cutting up stinging nettles too to make plant feed once they have been in some water for a number of weeks. While doing that, I planted up some sorry looking chilie plants that have been outside/undercover at home since they germinated. Most I took indoors and are doing really well, but when I ran out of window sill space the remainder I kept outside. They haven’t done too bad, although I think probably been a little over watered. Planting them out on the plot, where they get the full hot sun all day, might get them to spring into life, or it might kill them.

Likewise, I was transplanting parsnips. I dropped a handful of parsnip seed in the garden which caused a group of small plants appearing and so while I know you should not do it, I thought I would anyway and transplanted them from the garden to the plot. If they take and produce something editable then all is good.

I finally pulled up the flowing purple sprouting which has been looking very colourful these past weeks. I wanted to prep the bed for leeks and so they had to come out, the bees have liked them. A quick hoe and rake and next week I’ll put he the leeks out.

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