The garden grows

We are gradually getting on top of the veg patch. Sue's design for the potager has 39 beds and I've dug 19 so far. We've experienced a small problem because the 'new' rotorvater blew up on the 4th time of using it. It is now in the seller's repair shop! So the last 3 beds I've had to dig by hand. But we can't wait as we bought a lot of things at the market last Saturday.

We've now got planted out courgettes, aubergines, tomatoes, and beetroot, with peppers and chillies still to go in. Already sown and all coming through are lettuces and rocket, fennel, turnips, and some french beans and mangetouts which look as if they're trying to get out of the ground! At the moment it seems as if we are going to be very productive; we haven't had any problems with slugs, snails or other wildlife eating our crops. We'll wait and see. Our biggest difficulty is going to be watering everything, as the potager is miles from the house. (Asthetics are more important than practicality)

In the meantime I just have to dig the rest of the 20 beds, and then start on the beds for the soft fruit and cordon apples and pears which will surround the potager.

We are also moving on to the next development in the Back garden. Sue has marked out a small area for the 'Silver Birch copse' out of which will flow a dry stone river. You can see that it meanders and then disappears into the hedge. Obviously it will make mowing more difficult, but once we get the 'river' prepared we can start throwing lots of small stones into it (including those we keep removing from the veg beds) which means we get rid of the stones and also we can stop handling them twice!