Hard manual work is always therapeutic.

This weekend Rosie and I made a huge start on the summer of fruit and vegetables we hope to harvest. In the spot where we cleared out a thicket of bamboo (and there was a LOT of it), we have planted (right to left) broad beans, beetroot, onions and radish. In the pots are a special variety of tomato, called 'tumbling tomato', the idea being that they grow by hanging down the side of the pot and the wall.

We also potted up the normal tomatoes in to pots large enough for them to grow through the summer without needing to be repotted again. These will get some of the harvested bamboo stakes in them for stability and then be put into the sun trap at the front of the house. For the moment they line the front edge of the patio.

The herbs and salad items that we planted will probably come up first, I just hope there is enough light here. We have planted (from top) little gem lettuce, ever-growing spinach, (from left to right) lambs lettuce, rocket and flat leaf parsley.

The peppers haven't sprouted properly yet, probably because the soil was a bit damp, so we have left the tray outside to dry out - but sheltered from the rain (on the window sill to my left).

Let's hope we get some truly organic food this summer. Next year I hope to not even have to buy compost, as our own will have rotted down enough to use the first of it by then, especially if we get a nice hot summer.