Sometimes, something pops up on social media that is just what I need to hear. Jess at Roots and Refuge has managed it twice in the last month. At about 8:08, she talks about the struggle this time of year to stay connected to the joy of the garden, at about 12:57, she talks about what to do if you’re feeling that.

I’m there right now. The tomatoes have blight, the weeds are going nuts, everything is a mess and I can’t get it back under control because there is not enough time and I don’t have enough physical energy. This week a fellow allotmenter mentioned that a lot of the issues would just have to wait until next year.

I look at the plot and think how did it get this messy, so quickly? Ma says “you wanted some wildness and you’ve worked really hard for seven years to improve the soil in the paths as well as the beds.” Basically, I asked for it.

The question is what happens next?

We just need to keep plugging on. We have made a start by clearing the weeks in the main path..

I’ve potted up the viola’s and cauliflowers. Given the tomatoes the blight chop and stopped watering them, yes even in the current heat, I’m not finished eating them but I’m done with nurturing them any more.

This weekend has to be about weeding, planting and tearing things out. The cukes in the poly are going, the french beans are done too. The courgettes are having a resurgence, so their going to stay for September. The brassicas need to go out – brussels, cauliflowers and kale, we have more kale, chard and swede coming this week too. I need to get them out asap.

I have a bunch of herby plants that need planting out too, which means weeding where they need to go. There is always work to do.