New strawberry bed

Just as we were about to set off down to the plot with more wood, Ian (ex plot 1a, now up by the clubhouse) arrived on his bike, enquiring about cabbage seed. Last year I'd given him a few spare cabbage plants , and they had scored well in his record book (Elisa F1 and Golden Acre/Primo 2). Unfortunately I hadn't made a note of the relevant seed suppliers (something I must do in future) but was able to send him on his way with a spare packet of Primo. He promised to offer me, in turn, any resulting spare plants.

More wood had been acquired to complete the raised strawberry bed, so we set to work, once again in glorious warm sunshine, to the accompaniment of birdsong. Mike left me for a short while, returning with four bags of topsoil - a bit of an extravagance, but necessary to fill up the new bed without resorting to robbing other areas of the plot. Once I'd transplanted the strawberries from their original rather generous patch, there was enough freed up space there for a 'new' brassica section. So I won't have to squeeze the cabbages etc in, alongside the potatoes, after all. Instead, I can use this area for even more varieties of beans.

Whilst sitting outside the shed with a drink, I wondered how I could screen off the compost bin (soon to be 3 composts bins) to make the view a little more attractive. At last I've decided where the sweet peas will go - they should make a colourful and fragrant barrier, fronting the working area. To finish off, I divided my plot from Peter & Janes with the rest of the wood, and painted it green to blend in with the shed. Just need more bark chippings now, to fill up the rather bald paths. After a very fulfilling day on the plot, a very dirty me was ready for a long, hot soak.

Another super morning. Will it be the plot or the garden? In the meantime, I've been looking at the dogwood stems in the large pot on the patio (see earlier photo). I'm mulling over the idea of using them as pea supports. Although, in a practical way it would work, the artistic side of me can imagine how colourful it would look - the red and orange stems contrasting with the bright, pea green plants. Mmmm.......