We’ve had a little rain in the last week, which was a relief. The good downpours continue to avoid us though. There were some good developments in the plot. The first 3 pumpkins have arrived. It looks like on the plants is heading straight out of the bed. I need to plant them further in next time. One pumpkin was starting to squish itself against the wood, but I think I’ve saved that now having raised it up on some straw.

The first zinnia is open. It’s nice to have good zinnia plants again after a few years of failed plants. The self-sown candytuft in Bed 10 is huge.

I did lots of weeding and deadheading and pulled up lots more finished nigella. It’s made a few spaces in the beds, which is my usual problem at this time of year. I’ve done a good job of tying up the everlasting peas – in the trellis bed in particular. It’s made a great difference.

In the afternoon I put about 50 litres of compost into Bed 3 to bring the level up a bit and cover the exposed bulbs. I’ve now finally planted the petunias that I bought a couple of weeks ago. I’ve fed them too, so I hope they’ll get a bit bigger and give some reasonable colour in the bed.

The grass hasn’t grown much, which is a big relief and I strimmed all the edges, so it’s looking smart again.

The first harvest of the season: a few overdeveloped French beans and some chard.