I’m in a mad “catching up” mode at the moment so this pic was shot a few days before the date at the top of the page. It may not be exactly how the greenhouse looks today, but it’s exactly how the greenhouse looked on Monday before I spent the in-between-times planting out, potting on and sowing more stuff.

The problem at the moment is that I’ve run out of space in my greenhouse. I don’t own a cold frame so the stuff that’s not yet up to a full-on outdoor life can’t go anywhere but here. Not to mention that I’ve got nowhere to harden stuff off because those pesky chickens get everywhere. These are both problems I need to solve over the coming year before next year’s sowing. Not now though – too much else to think about.

I have taken the radical step of planting out my runner beans and sugar snap peas today despite their being too tender really. It was a calculated risk, taken because tonight’s weather forecast is +10ºc and that’s just about warm enough. I am going to be running round with fleece and bubble wrap if it goes down any from here on in.

The reason for getting them out is the simple need to get going on other stuff – I’ve got some grains to plant this year (amaranth and quinoa) and they need to be started in the greenhouse NOW – well, probably a bit before now really. Despite doing well on the home growing of seeds, having taken on much more of it this year in an attempt to make sure the food I grow is truly organic and as much as possible “heritage” I still feel as if I’m running to catch up all of the time.

You’ll notice some of my more whacky plant containers – milk bottles with a side cut out, toilet roll innards, whatever I can find, I’m stuffing seeds inside, watering ahd hoping for the best.

At the moment, I’ve got tomatoes and tomatilloes already out in the greenhouse, several chilli varieties, sweet peppers, borlotti beans and French climbing beans, sugar snaps and mange tout, red cabbage, chard, mooli, two types of potato, two types of garlic, broad beans, runner beans, onions, Florence fennel, courgettes, squashes, pumpkins, sweetcorn, amaranth and shallots on the go already, not to mention the herbs. Yikes. Have I taken on too much again?