Easter weekend was dreich but I managed to round up a few people on Friday to work outdoors: planted potatoes in trenches in a bed (leaving hillocks for later earthing up), and in a large green recycling bag, and transplanted lettuces (poking a stick through the hole in the bottom of the module to try to remove the plug while keeping modules in tact to use again -- not easy!) Belize is a good variety, I have found.

I was trying to work out why some of garlic spears were coming up strong, and others were not, then I remembered that one of my neighbours had brought some old garlic from her kitchen, and some old sprouting potatoes, to the first workshop....I persuaded her that we should use the organic seed potatoes that were chitting in my kitchen, but I didn't want to disappoint her by  rejecting her offering of garlic, even though I had organic bulbs from the Somerset garden of Charles Dowding (no dig guru) no less! So we planted both, but the results have confirmed for me that you do need to use seeds from a reliable source...

Was very excited to see self-seeded nasturtiums growing among the broken tarmac at the back of our garden (we broke it up a few years ago to dig out knotweed roots). Last year I scattered some wild flower seeds there, knowing they like poor soil...but I guess it was just too poor, and none came up, so I plan to sprinkle some topsoil there this year, and try again. I bought some climbing nasturtiums from local Hackney grower Joan at the seed swap the other week at Dalston Curve (Hackney Food Growers network event) so I can't wait to sow them, and see them climbing colourfully and abundantly over an old rusty gate...