Cheers to our good mate Jim N for letting us know about this subterranean greenhouse idea (aka Walipini) which was on the Jetson Green website (who do a great line in other bonkers stuff – last week it was glow in the dark plants to replace lights!) The idea is well clever but I honestly can’t see Lewisham Council or the neighbours (“I’m sure they’re having parties down there”) appreciating me building one down the garden! More on Walipini’s /Pit Greenhouses here.

The past week and a half we’ve been harvesting Purple Sprouting Broccoli. The plants took so long to mature I’d even forgotten what they were late last year! The most important thing with PSB is that you have to keep cutting the heads regularly after they start even if it gets a bit too much in the eating stakes (“What, Broccoli AGAIN?”) Once the heads open out and flower, it’s the end of that and the plants will stop producing.

There’s even some action in the mini cold frame down the bottom of the garden (the old window frame found in a skip stuck on some bricks), the overwintered garlic is coming on and the mixed salad leaves (obtained in a 5 pack veggie seed bargain on ebay for a couple of quid) sown a few weeks ago have started. Spring has sprung my friend!