It’s May, the point of my growing year where I’m not ready to start planting out and the weeds are all over the place! Without my trusty sidekick, I’m having to do a lot of the maintenance my own self and while I can do it, I much prefer having Ma on the plot to help with netting and to tame my more wild flights of fancy!

I cut some grass, which is the allotment equivalent of hoovering the most hated of housework tasks, I need to do the other side which will be easier and the front. I also need to identify this plant, which has come up by the apple tree. Any ideas?

There are potatoes everywhere, in the bed I put them in but also rogue ones all over. I generally have a ‘if it’s useful or pretty don’t pull it up’ policy with weeds, which is why there are patches of rocket and coriander all over the paths, why there is aramanth, california poppies and borage everywhere and why we let the mystery squash grow last year. The only exception to this rule are raspberry runners but I’m a little stumped about whether to leave the potatoes or pull them up, for the moment, I’m so focused on the weeds I really don’t want (there is so much bindweed on the new half) that I’m leaving the potatoes alone but overall this is why I decided to grow them in pots..

I did put the cloche up and have all the flowers hardening off, I just put them in and leave them, if they die, they die! And I’ll have to do the same with some of the many winter squash plants because the living room is struggling to cope. I potted the tomatoes on and ended up with 47, I have over 20 winter squash plants and only 9 summer squash plants, (3 crookneck, 3 courgettes and 3 patty pans) it’s like I’m learning my lesson…very slowly!

I have tomorrow off work so hopefully over the next couple of days, I’ll get the weeding done and all the other pesky jobs I’ve been putting off.