I was in Gmunden over the bank holiday so I’ve taken the rest of the week off to recover and catch up in the garden. The irises had opened in my absence. I thought they weren’t going to turn up. They’re rather lovely, so I’d like to add some more in the next round of bulbs. One lupin in particular is looking good. The others are much smaller, having been sat on a bit by other plants and weeds. But I’m going to be thoroughly feeding my borders this week. Not least because it hasn’t rained for a long time.

I’ve planted out the four Jack Be Littles at either end of the sweetcorn bed. They’re meant to now climb upwards and I’ll string supports as they go.

Four tomato plants have been put out so far. They’re flowering wildly, so hopefully the bees will find them now. I’ve given them a general feed along the with the beautiful homegrown marigolds alongside them.

The onions have fattened up considerably in the past week. The two that failed haven’t made any progress.

Mr B offered me extra straw that I didn’t need while I was straying down Bed 1, but was able to sell me on a pot full of Bulgarian Giant leeks. Mine are much smaller and were on the verge of being abandoned, so I’ll see how these do once I eventually finish emptying Bed 7. Mine were sown in April and these were sown a month earlier, so perhaps all I needed to do was give them more of a head start.

I found a dead fledgling blue tit on the grass. I put it outside the fence with the hope that something will find it tonight.

I’ve sown the extra rows of beetroot and carrot in Bed 10, and a split half row in Bed 2. The runner beans have had a general feed.

The cucumbers are a mix of dead and pathetic. The broken bits clearly aren’t going to mend. The two small seedlings now have little true leaves. I’ve given everything a weak feed and also put new seeds into every existing point, plus two.

Plum Corner isn’t exactly under control, but it is at least looking quite pretty with lupins, gladioli and geum. There’s grass growing through perennials all over the place, so for now it’s just a case of keep plucking it out.

The transplanted cornflowers and poppies have taken really well. There was briefly a bright pink poppy before the wind blew its petals off. I’m looking forward to them seeding down and getting settled in these beds.