It rained too much yesterday for it to be worth making a trip to the plot. Today I was firing on all cylinders and planted all the cosmos into Bed 2. My seedlings were so awful this year that I had to go the garden centre.

I put in all my RHS sweet peas against the other end of the netting. They’re very little, but have pinched and I hope some food and water will help them along.

The blackbird accompanied me again and clearly remembered where to find the ants. Later on, I saw it bathing in the pond for the first time. The sparrows are eating well at the feeder and are nothing like as nervous of me now. I saw a party starting to clear up their ground spill too. Over in the woodland bed, the lungwort looks better now.

I’ve sown more carrot and beetroot – including fillers in the original beetroot row. The carrots are doing really well, but some of the beetroot have been bitten and some have been pulled out.

Five Red Alerts have gone into Bed 1. I’ve left some borage, which will stay or be dug out later according to how it goes/grows. I think this will be a borage-heavy year, which will be great for the bees.

I’ve put 17 marigolds along the back of Bed 9. Very little candytuft is coming up along the front so far.

The Summer Carousel nasturtium plants have gone into Bed 5. I’ve put the Trailing nasturtiums into Bed 6 – though I think the plants coming up from seed now are actually Summer Carousel. I’ve added some morning glory seeds to the bed. It looks like only one cornflower has come up so far. 

I’ve settled the slabs in by the pond and have improved the end ones that have some concrete on, by giving them a preliminary clean with the wire brush. They need more working, but now have colour when wet, which is pleasing. A bit more top soil is needed, but the landscaping of sloping the ground is almost complete. 

The majority of the plot is still just beginning to wake up, but the ledge is looking fab, thanks mostly to the fleabane and the sweet william.