Another corker of a day!  Why can't spring be like this every year?

The raspberry bed has been well dug-over.  Over the last two days, nearly all the raspberry canes have been dug up and stored in bags. The bed has been given a serious going-over with forks and most of the perennial weeds have been removed.  The umbellifers are unbellifably hard to dig up!


We'll sort through the canes, keep enough for a re-planted raspberry bed and take the remaining to market.  Once the bed has been reinstated, we are determined to manage it better.  Having said that, we planted the original bed over ten years ago and it has been very productive.  We like the autumn varieties - we have Autumn Bliss  and Fall Gold - because they fruit at a good time and the canes are self-supportiing.

Our forester friend came and took away his trailer this evening.  I'd made sure it was as full as I could manage.  He's taken away lots of Elder prunings, hedge prunings, old hebe, bits of hazel and ash from the roadside, some of the recent Thuja branches and anything else I could put my hand to.

It was a very sunny day and I worked without a shirt for too long.  I'll suffer tomorrow, no doubt.

The tunnels were well watered twice today. Once first thing and again just before coming indoors for the evening.  The peas and broad beans are almost all up and this year have managed nearly 100% germination.  The tomatoes are up too.  Something is going for our chillies.  Slugs or woodlice, we think. Every morning a few new corpses!

Even the sweet peas have started germinating.  With luck, we'll have a good crop.  There's a lot of work in preparing all the Rootrainers and sowing - must be over 1500 seeds again - so we hope for a good return for the labour.

When the Farmers' Market starts again Friday after next, we'll have quite a lot to bring for sale.  Watch this space for a list.