The blackthorn winter is well and truly over.  The weather seemed to stay cold all though April but we are now basking in warm temperatures and things are really starting to happen in the garden.  We have been eating salad greens from the greenhouse for three weeks or so.  We have a number of different lettuce varieties and some mixed leaves from Plants of Distinction.  I have picked my favourites from the mixed leaves and will soon be sowing more mizuna, chervil and pak choi.  One of our favourite lettuces is Little Gem - its so plain when bought from the supermarket but delicious when home-grown and freshly picked.

Something has gone wrong with my big tomatoes - they are a variety called Caspian Pink and performed well for us last year.  But this year the apical bud has turned into a terminal flower spike - so my upward growth will have to come from a side shoot and I wonder how well that will work.  I will be hoping that Sungold and Sweet Olive perform well and get me out of a hole!

We have more lettuce coming on in the garden and greenhouse and have around six different varieties. All the members of the cabbage family that we need for the winter are growing; that's cauliflower, purple sprouting broccoli, savoy-type cabbage and cavalo nero.  All we need to do is plant them out later and keep the cabbage white butterflies away! Paul has built a fruit cage for the soft fruit this spring and is contemplating something comparable to defeat the butterflies.

We have some Discover England Tours guests this week so a busy time for me and Paul.  I will hope to get more gardening done as there are various beans to plant out and salad production to maintain.  I checked the calendar yesterday and found that Lucy has just two weeks to go before her half-term holiday.  Where does the time go - soon she will have finished year 2 and the summer holidays will be here!

When the blackthorn winter is over, the may (hawthorn) will bloom.  As the saying goes, 'ne'er cast a clout 'till may be out'.  Sometimes confused with the month of May, when translated this means that you can cast your winter clothing when the may is in flower.

I hope that the may is flowering with you - or the local equivalent!

Bye and happy gardening
Susy