I have been so busy at home that I haven't been to the plot other than walking through with the dogs. I have, though, been working hard on the Kitchen Garden and the front lawn at home. As it is still so powder dry I decided it would be a good idea to pull out the weeds in the front lawn. This entails kneeling for hours on the rock hard grass and digging up the dandelions and other yellow headed weeds that look similar but aren't. They were the only reason for mowing as the grass is very dead and hasn't grown for weeks. But the weeds did still, and the flower stalks were too tough for the Concorde mower, so it had to wait until DH was in a suitable mood to use the petrol mower. (I may be a big girl but I just cannot start the bally thing!!!) Anyway....the weeds are now all gone and it looks much neater.

I decide too to green manure some of the back garden beds as it seems silly to start any more seeds off to just wither away. The Sq Ft bed I started a couple of weeks ago is now sprouting well.....I water and shade it assiduously. And the first Sq Ft bed has provided us with turnips already, as well as lots of salad pickings, of lettuce and baby spinach leaves. The beans in that bed are flowering, so we'll soon have dwarf beans.

I seem to be able to feed us every day with veg we've grown here. The runner beans are a big flop here at home. But the ones on the plot that I didnt sow until after the first earlies were harvested are streaking up the netting. I am hopeful of a decent crop if the weather stays mild here as it usually does. We don't get many frosts at all in the winter so they should be ok.

Tomatoes are doing very well. As are the cucumbers. We have enough salads each day, and I've pickled some beetroot and some shallots. I have re-netted the brassica bed and the butterflies can't get in now so I'm hopeful of a good crop of brussels and purple sprouting broccoli later.

I went to enquire at Ryde House Nursery about cabbage plants and they say they will have them soon, as well as leek plants and other brassicas besides cabbage. I will put a good few up on the plot to keep us fed through the winter.

The carrots we were eating at home are now finished. I have a few coming up in one of the Sq Ft squares but not enough just now, so have to get them at Tesco's.

We are also doing well for courgettes. And there are an abundance of green peppers in the tunnel that I am leaving on the plants as we much prefer them red or yellow. So much sweeter!