Six thick thistle sticks

I have all these wet weather shed jobs to do – clematis and rosemary cuttings to strike, need to pot up the basil, change over the flooring from small smelly pallets to larger ones… but it keeps on staying relentlessly sunny. Glorious weather really. But it means I need to get up early to weed in the top potager before it gets too hot. And on that note I’m off. Fork, secateurs for the brambles, strong back muscles, large hat.

Have decided that until I can sort out the watering, some of the plants need to come down to the lower vegetable bed where they can benefit from a bit more tender care. So I transplanted the asparagus peas and the land cress. And then weeded away. It looks rather lovely and bare.

Then just to escape the heat, I finally potted up the basil and upgraded the fig to a bigger pot. Jane is a whizz at growing basil back in Northumberland, so I have entrusted the plants to her for the duration. She will work her magic and get them back into lusty growth.

In for tea. Then an afternoon’s chipping of the sticks from up at the forest. Perfect way to recycle the wood. But gad it’s hot work dragging down the sticks to the machine.

What else? Sowed beetroot and loads of rows of carrots in the newly cleared beds. I pulled some beauties for meals this week, but only have two rows left. And did three pots of salad seeds up in the potting shed. Had my usual end of day watering. Now that Gerry has sorted out the hoses so beautifully I have a happy half hour drenching the vegetables in the beds.

And then in the setting sun I started on the soft fruit area but it’s too big for now. Will have to launch into it tomorrow.