Busy in the veg garden and helping the neighbours

In the hope that it will rain this weekend I have taken advantage of the warm weather to carry on planting up the veg garden.  Here is a summary so far - the bed is 25 ft wide.

• two rows of onions
• one row of garlic
• 4 rows of broad beans (in full flower)
• (all planted in the autumn)
• Beetroot planted 1 st April and just making progress)
• parsnips (only half the row successful so put new seed in)
• Carrots (most of the row is now up and quite full) (Autumn King)
• onions (spring planted sets)
• Peas (put in hedge trimmings as pea sticks)
• swede
• turnips
• Carrots (James Scarlett)
• Celeriac (as small plants raised from seeds)
• Two rows of purple sprouting
• 4 rows of early potatoes (some leaf showing after 3 weeks)

I hesitated today over putting out the self blanching celery (small plants) as I could not decide where to fit it in. My husband checked the greenhouse and declared 24 sweetcorn plants would not be enough - panic not, some more on the way!  There was then a discussion about how many courgette plants were too many.  My view is more, husband not so keen.  Planing the runner bean structure as we know we have to make sure it will stand up to winds.  No rush as the seeds are just coming up.

A few things have gone into the poly tunnel as we start to get going. My husband declared the lettuce had grown twice as big over night.  I will post some pictures tomorrow.

Since we moved here last year we have been grateful for the help and advice, and wealth of local information, from our two immediate neighbours all of whom we are much older than us. But this week it was our turn.  B was struggling to find time to mow his half acre of grass with his wife in and out of hospital for Chemo treatment. Husband went round with his ride on mower and ran over the grass for him.  Latest news is they will be away for weeks for more treatment in another county - poor dears - we will run over their lawns and the back grass as much as we can.

On the other side D wandered round to chat and told us he had fallen back on some kerb stones in the front garden and bruised his back. He just could not bend at all, We offered to help if he needed anything but he stubbornly pottered on with his market garden but had to ask for help with coupling hoses in the end! We chided him to put on some arnica or ibuprofen rub but as a widower he would have to ask his daughter to do that and he was scared he would get a right telling off!

We had a cup of tea in the garden and thanked our lucky stars that, despite the aches, we were fit and healthy.
Pictures tomorrow.