Fruit blossom

Damson blossom time! I narrowly missed catching a large bee doing the business too. The 2 new step-over apples are also showing signs of bud break but I'm not sure what the proportion of leaf to blossom will be. It's their first year - one is Charles Ross and one is Egremont Russet. This week I've sown a red seeded broad bean called Red Epicure. The colour is said to stay on cooking if the beans are steamed - I can do that. I've also ordered Violetta - high hopes of a bright cooked bean there too.

Speaking of coloured fruits - these are my Lancashire Lad peas. The pods are purple but the peas are the usual colour. I shall eat a few of this crop (or I'll never know if they're tasty!) but most of them will be saved for seeds for next year (and maybe enough to share). I'll give them a week or so to harden off outside the greenhouse in the day and back in at night, then I'll put them down at the allotment.

My son-in-law has got the bit between his teeth this year and is stripping off some of the grass from their large garden to make veg beds. (I must be rubbing off on him!) Here I am caught in turf stripping mode - good job I've got a supervisor in attendance! I helped on 2 beds but altogether he has done 5 with 2 still to go. This afternoon there will be an expedition to my allotment to take some of the surplus strawberries, to relocate to their fruit bed.

Our shed went to its new home today. A neighbour bought it and came with a gang of strong young men to take it to bits. It took a remarkably short time! With the cash we will buy some wood for making mesh covered protection for the allotments beds - they suffer from pigeon attack like the garden does. I hope eventually to edge the beds in wood but first things first and a bit at a time.

The toms are coming along great. They are staying out in the cold greenhouse in the day but coming back indoors at night. They are short, strong and sturdy and just the way I like them at this time of the year. They say that if you are buying your tomato plants you should look for those that still have their seed leaves because this shows the plant hasn't suffered a check. Any intermittent watering or iffy temperatures will cause the seed leaves to drop so you know the plant has suffered a check in growth. Glad to report my seed leaves are all present and correct!