It’s been a while but we got back to the plot on Saturday and there are flowers growing and things coming back to life but the weeds are trying to take over, so the aim of Saturday was to start getting it back under control.

We stared with some harvesting, kale, brussels and turnips. Ma cleared all the beds at the front, while I started weeding at the back.

When all the beds were weed free. We moved on to tidying up other areas. I started work on the pond area and rose garden, which was in danger of being overwhelmed with grass and other weeds and Ma started to cut back the verbena in the middle of the plot.

It doesn’t sound like a lot of work, but it was and four hours later, we decided to stop weeding and I wrestled some parsnips from the ground and then we when home. I moving forward, I’m going to cover more of the soil with plants I want. In the pond area, I want to plant more thyme and camomile lawn to cover that soil. I think the saying is that the earth is modest and it will cover itself if you don’t! Once this area is weeded it’ll need a mulch with compost. I’ve been doing this since we first set up the rose garden and pond area and it has really improved the soil so I’m going to carry on doing it!

Next week’s tasks are more tidying up. On Ma’s list is finishing with cutting back the verbena, weeding the mint bath, and cutting back the rosemary. On mine, finishing the rose garden weeding, getting the iris bed weeded. Then weeding around the gooseberries and ‘wild area’. If there is any time left, I want to stick the woefully late to be planted tulip bulbs in the ground, moving the raspberries and creating the new bed next to the gooseberries.

We have extra days on the plot over Easter, so that’s time to plant up potatoes, lay the paving stones and clear the polytunnel. We might even start sowing things, but the plot is about two to three weeks behind where it usually is, I’m trying to be relaxed about feeling behind! The first plot inspections of the year are in April, so I want to be caught up before then!

Off the plot, this week is the week to order compost – yes it’s that time of year! It’ll be delivered on Tuesday, all 2,100 litres of it (that’s 42 bags). I’m hopeful that it’ll be enough for the year, it should top up the beds and mulch the pond and rose garden. I will need to buy seed starting compost separately but I’m hopeful that we’ll be done after that.

The other decision I made this week, was to buy aubergine and pepper plants for the polytunnel. I still haven’t set up my seed starting yet and the living room is going to have to be packed and unpacked for the new floor and there isn’t space anywhere else in the flat. The other plants for summer can wait until later in April but the aubergine and peppers are new to me and they need a long season which I can’t provide. I’ve ordered 6 peppers (Big Ben and Hamik), 3 chilli peppers (Jalapeno) and three aubergine (Moneymaker) plants from DT Brown, for the polytunnel bed. Yes, I am a child and I did order the big ben peppers because my brother is called Ben. They’ll arrive in May.

Lots of work to do but it’s spring, it’s only going to get busier.