I must thrive under pressure cos the idea of this book, a collaborative novel written in 24 hours*, is dead exciting!

And they’re not just looking for potential authors; illustrators and photographers can get involved too, to contribute images to inspire the writers on the theme – based on a group of city centre allotments, ideas of shared and private space and the real and imaginary barriers between a range of different urban characters – or ultimately to go into the book itself.

On their website they mention to use the Ning community to get involved, but so far it needs an invitation – have written to them to get one… fingers crossed one comes my way!

(There *is* another 24 hours on Sunday in which the CompletelyNovel team get to edit everything; I’m hoping to get involved then as – very appropriately! – I’ll be picking apples in a Sussex orchard on Saturday)

Woohoo! I only discovered I had any beans ready to eat after my friend’s 1 yr old was rootling about in the garden yesterday… Had to lift up all the leaves but then, there they were, all 7 of them, hiding underneath… [beams proudly].

Had them steamed with our dinner tonight (tasty!), but disappointingly all the fire-tongue-iness disappeared during cooking.

Regardless of the pissy weather we’ve had, things are growing… I’ve been converted thanks to this book, and am now cramming edible things into tiny spaces! I’ve also got hooked on Folia, a garden version of Ravelry, which I hope will remind me when to prune etc… maybe… at least there are lots of pretty pics of other people’s growing things on there to inspire me!

Had given up on any vegetable aspirations after the allotment drama of last year, and was preparing to freecycle all my veg seeds. Then! I read this amazing book called the Window-box Allotment and am ready to try again, albeit in a much smaller, drier and more exposed location (10 floors up!)

Just sowed some dwarf french beans ‘Firetongue’, tomatoes ‘Gartenperle’ and the old favourite ‘gardener’s delight’, courgette ‘Bambino’, ‘Anaheim’ chilli peppers, alpine strawberries ‘Mignonette’ and some basil, parsley and coriander.

On the flower front I’m trying thrift again – even though it took ages to germinate, they did last on the balcony over winter – and some freebie rudbeckia ‘Cherokee’ seeds. I’m also planning some poppies, scabiosa, zinnia and dahlias (they were fab last year, and I can see the tops of them peeking up already.)

Up at 7 on a foggy Sunday morning (made ever-so slightly worth it by seeing participants taking part in the Brighton Run), then 4 hours on a train / bus / train to Dorset for my grandma’s housewarming… after 20+ years of living in a thatched cottage worthy of a chocolate box portrait, she’s moved to the ‘big city’ (about 4 miles down to road, pop. 2,920). The new house is lovely, and of great import to me, has beautiful deep windowsills; big enough to curl up on with a book. These windowseats and their cushions are one of the outstanding memories I have of her last house, and I’m pleased to see the tradition continue… maybe it’s a Dorset thing… Anyhow, she seems very settled and happy in her new home, and I wish her many happy times in it.

Heh, I use the term harvest in the broadest sense, but I did pick some rocket and lettuce and have it in my sandwiches for lunch today

The veg seems to be growing fine, so I can’t have upset the harmonies of correct gardening too much with my planting after all…

Here is the before, and the after (well, current) shot.

So – last day at the magic garden… We were in the Fruit Garden today, hoeing the gravel beds between the gooseberries and strawberries.

Also planted up these pink tulips in the giant pots either side of the path. It was a little like excavating a dig in these pots as they were full of other plants / bulbs from other seasons… This is the thing I find hardest about figuring out stuff to plant on the balcony and would truly like help figuring it out. A plan for one pot + 4 seasons = ?? Are there any good books / articles about sequential planting?

After one *last* visit to the on-site shop I came away with a purple trug (it had to be done!) and the following seeds:

- Gaura (’The Bride’ – I had one of these as a plant before but it died; second time lucky?)
- Scabiosa ‘Black Cat‘, Tall Doubles and ‘Fama‘
- Poppy ‘Meadow Pastel and Ruprifragum (orange)
- Summer and Winter Savoury (inspired by the herb beds at Bateman’s)
- Alpine Strawberry ‘Mignonette’
- Patty Pan Squash ‘Custard White’
- Greater Quaking Grass (just liked the name!)
- Zinnias ‘Envy‘ (a lovely chartreuse colour) and ‘Sprite‘
- Astrantia Major, deep red

also B gave me a Cup & Saucer plant and a Froggy Chrysanthemum… yay!

Today I have mostly been making these… Silver birch twigs twisted into rustic (very ‘rustic’ in my case) supports for tall flowers liable to get blown over.. This one is for the delphiniums. I also hoed some gravel paths and planted some seedlings. I love it; could easily do this every day. Had a Secret Garden moment when a robin came right up close and sat on a post nearby looking at me with a cocked head – the birds really aren’t shy (or maybe they are keen to just get at all the unearthed worms we’ve just made available!)

This is the kind of volunteer gardening I like: wandering about with some yellow scissors and a pink trug, deadheading flowers that are looking a bit peaky… Not a double dig to be dug…

B lovely, and offered free seeds and a lift to Bateman’s where Rudyard Kipling used to live… Spent the afternoon eating ginger parkin & reading Kim in the lovely gardens, looking for a felt mouse hidden somewhere in the masses of oak panelling (found him!) and walking back to the v friendy Rose & Crown.