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that as back up. Remember what April was like?I've been madly busy hoiking out all the early potatoes, which definitely have more than a touch of blight, which as Pippa has spotted is already rife this year. Once it's on someone else's plot, there's no stopping

August can often feel like a tricky time on the allotment. Lots of things like salad potatoes and beetroot have been harvested, leaving large gaps or whole beds free. Then there's the interruption of a summer holiday - should you sow anything new

, broad and French beans (depending on what I've grown that year), plus marinated tofu pieces and cubes of feta or haloumi cheese.For a comfort food fix, I combine the first of my potatoes with the last of the broad beans to make a fantastic warm, potato

on growing parsnipsGrowing carrots in a container - video project with Monty DonMonty gives advice on growing early potatoesPlanting brassicasGrowing runner beans

's video project on growing early potatoesMonty gives video advice on growing summer-fruiting raspberriesGrowing early strawberriesForcing narcissi.

I'm delighted to tell you that my main crop potatoes look absolutely fine and dandy. The tops were completely dead from blight - they were as lush and lovely as anything a fortnight ago - but I've got the spuds out before they were affected. Hooray

of these on the plants when I get there - the smaller gardeners in the family wait for them to ripen like a pair of vultures! Certainly one I'll have next year. Fingers crossed, none of the outdoor tomatoes have got blight yet, despite the fact that the potatoes went

for the time being but he does really love rocket so I might be able to slip in a couple more salads this week, especially if accompanied by a really nice steak and some fried potatoes.

plummets at about 6pm. So yes, the fleece is draped all over the place in the veg plots. A bit of snugly-protection for my sweet potatoes (I'm growing Bearegard and Jetfire this year, it'll be interesting to see how they fare!) and some vital, please

in them. Never enough to cause a problem by them coming indoors, but enough to occasionally catch a startled rodent face looking up at me as I dump out the next consignment of banana skins and potato peelings. It gives the cats something to chase other