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to hate them though, as they cavort around with each other, fluttering charmingly above my rickety constructions of netting. But until last week, I'd never seen anything bigger than a mouse on my plot. It lives in the compost heap and seems to love

dahlias. They looked stunning last week and now they’re a forlorn sight of drooping foliage and faded, floppy flowers.At least it didn’t take long to clear up, and all that sodden decomposing plant material will work wonders on the compost heap. And it

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

'll also add compost to the bottom of the trench before planting the potatoes, as they're such greedy, speedy growers.Onions really love growing in firm ground, so ideally, it should have been prepared in the autumn or winter, then left to go really hard

.There's something really inspiring about setting yourself up with seed trays, pots, compost and a big box of seeds indoors, as the rain lashes against the window pane.I like to sow seed of a few plants indoors. Tender crops, such as courgettes and butternut squashes

. But of course I didn't. I bunged it in a big pot with a bit of soil and old compost because I didn't know where to plant it, neglected it horribly and only chucked a bucketful of water at it when it looked like it was about to pop its clogs.I really do

into mush. All those beans, squashes and lettuces that still thought they had some go left in them will have turned up their toes. Hah, their next stop is the compost bin! But the rain was relentless so a quick inspection after work is all I've had time for

through the raspberry canes, forking out dandelions and couch grass as best I can. It all looks great. I've also forked over under the currant bushes in preparation for a lovely top dressing of blood, fish and bone and home-made compost - what a treat