Looking out the window at the moment the sun is shining and the birds singing!   Who would have thought only yesterday the weather could be so foul!   In desperation I planted my sweet peas and Hurst Greenshaft peas, I remember them being a good doer last year, as they were bursting out of their pots.   If I get chance I’ll go up and check tomorrow how many survived the onslaught of wind and rain.   I know we now have a dingy (Hilda) on our site but if it floods up then we are in deep trouble!  Besides I feel ‘Hilda’ is past her sailing days and is best suited to housing the multitude of flowers that Ruth has planned for her. 

 My greenhouse can take no more plants/seeds, you can only just get through the door and definitely no space to swing a cat – mind you Reggie, my cat, would not take kindly to it either.   I’m sure he was a gardener in a past life as he spends lots of his time guarding the plants but my ungenerous under gardener would say  finding himself the warmest spot for sunbathing!   I’ve decided to grow several varieties of French beans this year, Purple Queen, Blue Lake, Magpie, Hutterite Soup and Black Canterbury and they are all growing on well but ........like a lot of people I've spoken to the runner beans are a dismal failure so far. 

Painted Lady has always been a dependable crop but this year only 10% germination in the first sowing.   Probably down to the cold, wet weather and the ground just hasn’t had time to warm up. Still like all optimistic allotmenteers I have done a second batch and eagerly await their germination and if they fail then we’ll just have to hope the 10% that did germinate give me a bumper crop.   Not expecting my Celeriac to germinate well I sowed loads and sod’s law all of them have come through!   Problem is I have an inability to throw plants away and am always stuck as to where to put them, my freezer is still housing several pounds of broad beans from last year.  So if you see some demented old lady on the side of the road at Lanhydrock trying to give away celeriac plants it's likely to be me!

 Got a good crop of lettuces as well  and a surfeit here is no problem as Jack & Paddy, my guinea pigs,  would walk over hot coals to get a tasty lettuce!  The only thing they like better is cucumber, the outdoor variety Marketmore did very well last year.  I tried a heritage variety but it was far too bitter for my liking so sticking to Marketmore again this year.

  

Good weather this evening so all being well hitting the plot tomorrow so will let you know how it goes.