it always happens in April

Running out of space, I mean. It's still a bit cold at night so the greenhouse is filled up with container grown crops waiting to go outside and there are dozens of pots and trays with seedlings waiting to be pricked out. Except, they can't be at the moment because I don't have any space for the pots. The first sown tomatoes really should be going into their final positions as their roots are escaping and I'm already nipping out side shoots.

Strawberries in hanging baskets are flowering but there's been a shortage of insects since the weather turned cooler.

I did manage to make a little bit of space today by planting out some cabbage and cauliflower plants. Just five of each but that way I never have a glut to deal with and there will be successional plantings right through till late summer. They have their own mini-cloches made from plastic water bottles with the bottoms cut off.

Eventually the whole brassica patch will be covered over with debris netting to keep the dreaded cabbage whites at bay.

Autumn planted onion sets are thickening up nicely and the shallots are making good progress so all is looking hopeful at the moment.

Senshyu onions in a large fish box. Close spacing means smaller bulbs.

shallots

For the first time this year I've grown some onions from seed rather than sets. I pricked forty of them out into individual cells but the trouble is the onion bed is now full. It's going to be a real shame to pull them as salad onions so I'll have to find a couple of containers and stick em in among the flowers. I can always say I put them there to deter black fly on the roses.