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overnight those buds have burst into the prettiest lemon-coloured blooms. I've left them for the moment as I don't need that bed until I put my beans in, which aren't yet big enough to survive the attentions of slugs. After last year's rain there seem

.I planted them into a well-firmed bed, which is the key to growing good sprouts. A loose soil leads to 'blown' open sprouts rather than nice, tight little buttons.I've also earthed up the stems as they've grown, which keeps them firmly rooted in the ground

leaves from the little apple trees to add, as well as some spent bedding plants from pots at home.The formula is right, now I'll just have to wait a few months for the results!

.com's wildlife blogger to come and take a look! On second thoughts, perhaps not - he too would be horrified at the slovenly state of things.So, I've had a set to. Gone are all the holey bits of netting that don't fit the beds properly. Gone too are the past

. But I can still take all the lovely garden rubbish up to the allotment. All the blackened dahlia stems, fallen leaves, old bedding plants and herbaceous stems will rot down beautifully over the winter.

problems on the plot in the past couple of years. They make their nests down the side of my raised beds which means I get attacked and bitten when I'm weeding. I know an ant bite isn't much to whinge about, but there are an awful lot of them and they seem

to dig the soil, mulch my beds or dig in manure or compost .But now it's warmed up a little I can finally get on with a few jobs. In fact this weather is perfect for moving plants. The combination of moist, warm soil, dormant plants and no wind is ideal

prolific weeds in my beds. It's actually quite a charming plant, with little blue flowers and a creeping habit. But it gets everywhere. It has a nasty habit of hiding under plants, where it sets its roots down close to the stem. This makes it difficult

of them have popped out of the ground and needed pushing back. That always happens with sets, doesn't it? I assume it's birds pecking about on the freshly worked beds, but I've never seen them at it.I've also got turnips, swedes and beets showing

need the bed for my butternut squashes which I've potted on and put outside to harden off before planting them out later on this month.It's sad to see the kale go, but next winter's crop is already underway. This time I'm giving the trendy black kale