A sizeable patch of comfrey, cut down during the winter and already standing over a metre tall, is now full of bees collecting pollen from the bunches of purple flowers and I marvel at their number whilst listening to the gentle buzz as they move purposefully from one flower to the next.
The birds too are very active, the air is filled with their song and at intervals I see a wren darting in and out of an overgrown blackberry bush on my neighbour’s plot. There is a feeling of great momentum with the lengthening days and it is my favourite time of year to be working on the plot. Any hibernating wildlife has woken up and some of the plants are growing at great speed, most noticeably the Charlotte potatoes which will be the first crop of potatoes to harvest and I am keen to be eating more of my own produce once again.
I have had my best ever crop of broad beans this spring. These are Aquadulce Claudia variety, planted in the autumn, which have so far resisted damage from blackfly, although I have taken off the tops of the plants when I see any blackfly appear. They seem to start off on the tender leaves at the top of the plant and then work their way down.
Waterlogging is still a problem and most of the ditches around the plot are holding about twenty centimetres of water, but I have managed to build up the beds and planted out seedlings now that the threat of frosts is over. I am happy that the irises flourish in the wet ground and are in full bloom, producing one spectacular flower after another on each stem.
