Progress

The weather has been warm and calm and is set to be so for a few more days at least. I've built a simple frame for runner beans from canes and planted out the beans. I decided to wrap the bottom of the frame in netting to, hopefully, keep any bean munchers out. I've weeded the next strip of ground ready to plant out sweetcorn and mange tout. I know all peas are vulnerable, especially to birds like pigeons and partridges so they need carefully covering. It seems that sweetcorn is also vulnerable this year, with other people's being munched. Some suggest deer which might be the case. My perimeter fence is intact as far as I can tell but it certainly wouldn't keep deer out - they could easily hop over it - so I'll try to cover the sweetcorn as it goes out.

The beetroot I planted out a few days ago is now recovering from flagging badly as it went out. I've planted out the next batch too and some spring onions have gone out. All of this is under a netting cover.

At home the broccoli is coming on nicely, another batch of spring onions is on the way and savoy cabbage is doing well. All of these are vulnerable and will need netting, so I need to make sure I have enough netting and some frames to hold the netting would be good too.

Whatever the pests are that are eating our produce, one of them has died under my shed I think, it probably succumbed to rat poison on other plots. There are lots of bluebottles around and a smell of rotting flesh. I can't easily get under the shed, and I'm not sure I want to, but it has encouraged me to ensure the space under the shed is all secure with wire mesh.