No raised bed

Today's trip to the patch was a solo effort, phew some space to myself. I have had a poorly toddler for the last 2 days and not left the house. I felt so hemmed in.

I got a fair bit done, there are broad beans and shallots in the ground finally. I cleared the last of the leeks which were only fit for the compost bin as they were rotting. I also put a dalia in the ground in the corner by the tulips, it is the bit that is supposed to lift my heart as I walk towards the patch so a need some all year round colour.

The allotment association have started their competitions I bought 2 mammoth onion plants (just 50p a shot) one for each of the boys. Owen allocated and helped me label each plant. They have been in a greenhouse so need to be hardened off and then the rules state that they must be grown on the patch once hardened off. Hopefully we will do better with these than the marrows last year - as at least they are plants not seeds - we never sowed the seeds last year. I just need to do some research with Owen about how to make a mammoth onions really mammoth. Anyone have any secret feed recipes?

I also planned to assemble the link-a-board raised bed today for a strawberry patch. Its been in the box for a few weeks. Why I didn't open it to check it, is beyond me. Having carted its awkward rather than heavy packaging to the plot I opened to find just 3 boards in the box. 3 boards don't make a square so I just had to take it home again. Now this week I will have to see how good the company are at sorting things out. Hopefully it won't be too much hassle.

I spent the rest of the time, until collected by all the boys, digging.

When I had been collected we took an already prepared (and not by me) picnic to the the RSPB at Sandy, I can't believe how noisy the woodpeckers were. We bought some bird feeders for our garden I have to make it back up to the birds for having removed those trees.