“The asparagus for sale sign is up Mum,” My daughter notices on the school run this week.

“Hurray!” I cry.

I only have three crowns at home, which give me a few stalks, but not enough to satisfy my appetite for them.

We luckily have good suppliers around us so it will definitely be on the menu this weekend, I’ll give them a quick blanch then griddle them and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a good grinding of black pepper.

Or I may just steam them and have them dipped in a soft boiled egg. Delicious!

Extra day to play!

I few things I’ll be getting on with over the long weekend:

Bend & Tie: It seems a constant battle getting things to grow the way I want them to, I’ll have to bend and tie in my climbing roses to encourage more flowers along the stem instead of just at the top. I also need to tie in the new growth on my clematis and train the new stems up their supports.

Trim: My heathers that have finished flowering

Stake: My peas in the veg patch with twiggy sticks that I will cut from my nut tree.

Plant out: My carrots and parsnips that I sowed in gutters and are now a reasonable size, thinning as I go.

Keep an eye on the forecast and protect seedlings if frost is likely. And sow lots more seeds including another batch of cut and come again salad so I have a continuous crop.

Centenary Poppy Campaign

If you are thinking of sowing a few flower seeds, pop into B&Q and pick up a pack of Flanders Poppy Seeds.

A £1 donation then goes towards the work of the Royal British Legion.

The RBL says: “The aim of the campaign is to cover the UK with poppies during the centenary period in commemoration of all those who lost their lives in the First World War”. So sprinkle your seeds on to finely raked moist soil where they are to flower any time from now until the end of June to give you a sea of beautiful red poppies.

I’m doing a 48-mile bike ride in aid of Pilgrims Hospice, so hopefully I will get to admire lots of bluebells along the way!