Up and running

This is our new path/hardstanding, which has been made very wide at the composting site (so people can drive in, drop their compostable material, then do a U-turn and leave) and about 4m wide along the rest. It's one of the last of our 'big' jobs to get the site up and running. We have yet to get the water connected permanently, which will be done - we hope - shortly. We are on mains water at the moment, but this is an 'informal' arrangement with the farmer whose field we are using, and since permission has recently been granted to build some affordable housing, which will go right over our pipe, we have to have a more permanent arrangement. We also intend to start a Community Garden in front of our containers.
In the meantime, with the warm weather, everything is growing and we must water! The apples that I put in have all got lots of blossom, but (as expected) my grafts failed to take on the two rootstocks. No matter, I will try again!

Warmer next week?

In the end, given that the weather forecast is good, I planted out both French beans and Runner beans. This gave me some room in the greenhouse for my tomatoes, all grown from seed. I have planted African Marigolds as a companion plant, similarly on the plot, in between the beans and mange tout peas. They smell strongly, and discourage aphids, but they also attract slugs, so I put down some pellets as well.

Wet Wet Wet!

...and cold, too. May has carried on where April left off. We have even had a touch of frost at night, but my spuds have survived.I have pulled up a load of chippings round them, and they are now growing strongly. I've also planted out mange tout seedlings. This weekend I think that I'll put out French bean seedlings, but I shall keep runners and courgettes back for another week or so. This week we should have had our hard path put down alongside the plots, but it's rained every day, so it may not have been done.