As my DH is getting along very well now since his op (nearly 8 weeks now) I am able to spend a bit of time down at the plot. Just as well as I need to get it winter ready.

I dug the last 5 rows of spuds up....the ones that were hastily planted under plastic at the end of the Spud planting season. They were very disappointing. This was the ground I didn't have time to dig first. I just laid a turf over each tuber basically then covered the lot in plastic (or something like that.) There were very few, very tiny potatoes, damaged by slugs and woodlice. Only about half a Tesco bag worth having. I don't think I'll do any Main Crop next year. I want to use less of the ground for spuds, so it'll just be some early ones I think.

I have started the autumn dig. The soil is so friable I could dig with one hand. And yet only a month ago it was rock hard. I am really pleased with the quality of the soil. My back garden is only about a quarter of a mile away as the crow flies, and yet our soil at home is dreadful compared with the plot.

Whilst I was digging I saw that there was a lot of manure being delivered to various plots. It was beautiful stuff....black....cow manure.....very well rotted....ie no smell at all. I asked if he could get me a load.....so he did. It was all dropped on the hauling road, which is also a public footpath....so I had to shift the lot this afternoon! Two elderly gentlemen who also had some delivered helped me, and it was soon done. Then when theirs came we tackled that together too. So....I am absolutely worn out now......digging all morning and shovelling all afternoon. A Radox bath was welcome but has not really tackled the problem.....so I am off to get horizontal and ease my back.

I borrowed a communal seed catalogue from another plotter yesterday. If we order together we get a 40% discount. As the prices are already very good, that is a sensational offer. The firm is Van Hage http://www.vanhage.co.uk/section.php?sectionid=52 . I found out about the catalogue because one of the other plotters showed me his carrots........ariety Flak....they were huge! He sowed them on the 2nd June and didn't thin or water them. They were magnificent! They are fly resistant too. So I had to have some for next year....and the only place that sells them is Van Hage.

Oh well....that is it for today...off to bed. Goodnight!