I’m on leave this week – one of those use it or lose it weeks before April. Typically for me, plans haven’t gone beyond the garden and allotment.

The sun came out yesterday, and I spent a solid 5 hours at the plot – long enough to make a cup of tea for myself and a plot neighbour.

The main task was to build the second raised bed for the ‘flower farm’ end and fill it with a soil/manure/compost mix.

So far, it’s been a good start to the year, the beds have been mulched and the woodchip paths renewed. I’m hopeful this work will build some drought resilience. The soil’s free-draining nature was clear as I moved it to the new raised bed and levelled the area.

In between the heavy lifting and tea drinking, I took a wander around the plot, checking on progress and here’s what I found.

The bath pond needs rejuvenation. It very nearly dried out last year, which was an invitation for me to get in there and remove the sludge but I procrastinated long enough for the rain to start. Maybe this year…

This blueberry bush is the same age as the larger bushes in the background, but it has struggled to thrive. I moved it to a smaller pot with fresh ericaceous compost and sieved bark and it’s off like a rocket. Like most things, it just needed the right conditions to thrive.

This year, the rhubarb has provided signs of life. I’ve 6 crowns – that’s a lot of compote.

The rose row looks healthy with a deep compost mulch. There’s promise of several Monday vase displays.

The peony bed is also showing promising signs of life, particularly Sarah Bernhardt and Eden’s Promise. I can spy hints of red buds just pushing through the soil for the rest.

I was surprised to see a very early asparagus shoot, which I can see has been taste-tested by the mollusc community. This crown was the first to throw up shoots last year – clearly the scout for the rest. I plan to take a light picking from the patch this year.

Last year I finally managed to grow Nigella Hispanica with gorgeous deep blue/purple flowers and very attractive seed pods. The pods opened before I got around to clearing the plants; this is the self-sown result – it will need a little thinning!

I’m waiting for Joan J, my favourite autumn raspberry to push through the compost and all will be well.

I’ve been picking cavolo nero kale for months but this is the last as the plants are going to seed. Joining the bowl is purple sprouting broccoli – only two plants survived and are only a third of their usual height so I suspect the season will be short. I’m sowing peas in the greenhouse to go into the PSB bed in early April.

I hope your growing year is off to a good start too.