Hello - I now blog here. Come over for some nettle soup.

This afternoon I excavated a horrible overgrown bed in 'the orchard'. It was covered in meadow grass and couch and had been bothering me for weeks. After attempting to lever the tussocks out with a fork, I gave up and cut them like turf with a spade. Boring but effective, and created enough space for three new crowns of rhubarb (Early Champagne) all planted in a hole filled with composted weeds. Any empty spaces among the fruit trees got a sprinkling of either: red clover, poached egg plant or phacelia. I also picked about a dozen slender stems from an established crown. I saw my first bee of the year, and a wasp, and the pond is full of frog spawn.

.

Earlier in the day I'd picked some nettles for soup. Elsewhere the perennial herbs have put on enough growth to harvest: thyme, winter savory, hyssop, fennel, chives, french tarragon, rosemary, bay, sage and marjoram all on offer. Less edibly, the lavender, valerian and pulmonaria are all off and running.

.

In the greenhouse it was over 28 degrees. I potted on some purple cauliflower from 3" to 5" pots and, for the first time, everything needed a proper watering.

The great start to the growing season continues... cool, but not freezing, at night and sunny most days. Temperatures in the greenhouse are in the mid-twenties and even the aubergines seem at home there.

.

The amazingly dry conditions are perfect for opening up new beds: I created one just for some Jerusalem Artichokes today. A new variety for me, called Gerard. I also planted some Horseradish thongs in another unpromising corner of the allotment. Seems better to have some unpopular crops in these areas rather than just a bunch of weeds.

.

With the exception of the flowers and those going directly into soil, most of the March sowings are done. It's looking all set for an Easter weekend planting scores of spuds.

Undaunted by the impending break in the weather I planted out the first lettuces and rocket into the raised beds in the garden - about forty plants in all. The rocket 'Apollo' and lettuce 'Barba dei Frati' seemed to be the best of the bunch, vigour-wise. I also potted on a dozen Tomato plants and the Artichokes. I finally got around to sowing more flower seeds: mainly Nicotianas.

.

Harvest-wise we had the first of the chard and the first of the rhubarb. Both very welcome. And the purple-sprouting broccoli I'd been waiting for turns out to be white sprouting. Not sure how big the florets should be before I cut them, but I'm looking forward to trying it.

.

Whilst pottering about I've noticed quite a few ladybirds already and three butterflies: two Peacocks and, I think, a Fritillary.

Another sunny morning to be grateful for not having a proper job.

.

I rehabilitated a bed which will house a neighbour's onions (long story) and hopefully my turnips subsequently. I should be thinking more about what's following what I'm planting now, but there's enough to consider.

.

Back in the greenhouse I sowed 3 types of lettuce: Sucrine, Chartwell and Salad Bowl; plus a couple of Endive: Ascalano and Grobo. I also sowed a new carrot (to me): Sytan - on the packet it claims to be everything you could ever want from a carrot. All I want from a carrot seed is, well - a carrot. I potted on a chervil plant and will now go and soak some parsley seeds before I forget...

A beautiful early-spring day. I planted 18 Arran Pilot seed potatoes into trenches filled with composted grass cuttings. I finished preparing the rest of the First Early bed: the annual weeds aren't making an appearance yet, but the perennial ones are flourishing in the warm weather.

.

The potatoes in the greenhouse have nearly reached the top of their sacks and the first-sown tomatoes need potting on into 5" pots.

.

With April just around the corner it feels like now or never when it comes to preparing the soil.

For the first time this year the 5 day weather forecast has no shades of blue. Even though the wind is cold, there's real heat in the sun and the sense that the worst is behind us. The hour change tonight may be man-made but is also a watershed in real gardening terms: instead of watching TV there's almost a duty to get out in the evenings and to do futile battle with the burgeoning weeds.

.

In anticipation of this extra working hour or two, I moved anything higher than a slug's elbow out of the greenhouse - ostensibly to harden off - but in reality just to make room for some new things to sow. Not boring brassicas or more tomatoes, but nice big seeds like courgettes and melons. And interesting things like couve tronchuda and red spring onions.

.

Harvest-wise things are looking grim. What's left of the kale is flowering away and the overwintered bunching onions are starting to form seed heads. Fortunately, the salad crops are going well and the baby salad leaf mix provided a first crop, albeit tiny, from a 2007 sowing.