Early crops

Our first crops of this year have been the new season rhubarb which made a very acceptable Easter Sunday pudding yesterday - and continuing helpings of chard and purple sprouting broccoli - both from last year's plantings. However, we are about to have our first purple teepee french beans - grown in a big pot on the living room windowsill. Apologies for the quality of the picture, my little Coolpix decided to focus on the front garden instead of the beans, but I've let it stand because I think it makes the front garden look rather nice! That's just one of the bean plants - there are 5 in the pot. Next year I'm thinking I'll do this in early February and continue every two weeks. It makes good use of the pots that won't have tomatoes or chillies in them for several months yet.

I've also spent some time in the last few days pricking out my last sowing of tomatoes. There is a wide selection here - mostly of two or three of a variety. I also have a tray of Red Alert - my favourite outdoor tomato. I used to grow this regularly on my old allotment. Last year when I got the new half plot in the village I didn't get around to sowing any but I've made up for the deficiency this year. Let's hope we get a summer to write home about!

This morning I dismantled the compost bins and spread the goodies around the garden. I took the opportunity to sort out a bit of garden near the bins, where my rhubarb grows, to plant out the 3 Invicta gooseberries I have had in a pot since last year. The original bush had suckered so I cut them off and potted them up together in a big pot. They now look splendid planted out separately in the fruit bed tucked in with plenty of home made compost around them.