Lots going on to keep me busy in the veg patch this week!

In the greenhouse: my tomatoes are all smartly standing to attention; I’m growing yellow and good old gardeners delight varieties this year.

I’ve used my grow bags in my usual unconventional way: I give the bags a good shake, bend and cut them in half and plant a tomato into each half, I know you are only getting two plants per bag this way but I think it’s worth the sacrifice for a little extra space and soil for them to grow in.

I’ve got a sort of tower for my strawberries to grow on this year which they seem to be liking as they are producing pretty well already, I’ll give them some tomato feed weekly from now and I have removed the runners at this stage so the energy used to produce them can instead go into producing bigger fruit.

Broccoli & butternut squashes have germinated and will be hardening off soon.

I’ll get some more peppery salad leaves planted in gutter piping this weekend to keep a consecutive crop going – Mizuna; Mustard & Rocket being my favourites.

In the veg patch: my broad beans are coming on well but are under attack, as usual, from black fly so I’m on a daily watch to remove as many of them as possible, by hand. Pinching out the tips of the plants also helps.

I’ve planted out my sweetcorn in a block, not a row, to aid wind pollination.

In the polytunnel: my cucumbers are shooting up well I try to keep them under control but in no time at all they will have taken over each of the two corners they are planted in. I have melons in the other two corners, which will hopefully do the same.

Plenty of basil coming on too, which I love, so pesto a-plenty will be the order of the day. I’ve stopped planting salad in there now tending to do this in early spring and autumn only as they bolt too quickly in the heat. I’m trying to keep on top of the weeds by not using the sprinkler, just direct watering and hoeing regularly!

And hopefully I will have enough energy left after all that as I am having a go at my first triathlon this weekend . . .