Life on The Weald

and other distractions - May 2026

Friday 1 May

I pottered about inthe garden, potting up kalettes sown earlier in trays to grow them on before planting out in June.

Saturday 2 May

Whilst emptying out the old compost from pots and containers, I came across the occasional peanut, still in its shell, obviously stored there by a squirrel, but was surprised to find a whole hen's egg!

2 May - a mysterious find

I cracked it and it was still fresh! I'm told that foxes often bury eggs for later but I had never come across one before.

2 May - that's cracked it!

I renewed the compost in some of the pots and planted up some tomatoes, putting some horticultural grit and a little bicarbonate of soda at the base of the planting hole.

2 May - Tomato ready for planting

2 May - preparing the planting hole

Sunday 3 May

Another day just pottering and tidying up and potting up the early summer sprouting broccoli seedlings

Monday 4 May

I planted out the Cobra climbing French beans that has been sown in pots at home. Many of the directly sown ones has never appeared; I suspect the mice or squirrels had them. Sadly many of those that had germinated had gone to feed the slugs and snails. In an attempt to protect the ones I had just planted, I put down a mulch of Strulch. I will also add some garlic to the spray I have prepared to combat blackfly on the broad beans and use this on the French beans too.

At home I added some acidanthera corms to the new flower bed in back garden.

Tuesday 5 May

At home, I planted lilies (tiger babies) and freesias to replace the Amazing Parrot and Brisbane tulips in the troughs in the front garden and added some Acidanthera to the square pot. Acidanthera, also known as Abyssinian gladiolus or peacock orchids grow to a height of app 1 metre and in mid summer should produce fragrant white flowers with a maroon or orange blodge.

Thursday 7 May

The Winter Red onions in both beds had bolted i.e thrown up flower scapes which sadly means they will probably not store well.

7 May - onions winter red

7 May - winter red onions

The Cobra climbing French beans had survived so far, so perhaps the Strulch was working.

7 May

The potatoes were looking healthy but no sign of flowering yet

7 May -

Friday 8 May

The tromboncino sown only 5 days earlier had germinated.

8 May - Tromboncino

It will be some time before the Tromboncino and courgettes are ready for the table buit we are picking a steady supply of broad beans.

8 May - freshly picked broad beans

At home, I planted more Acidanthera corms in a second square pot. Acidanthera, also known as Abyssinian gladiolus or peacock orchids grow to a height of app 1 metre and in mid summer should produce fragrant white flowers with a maroon or orange blodge.

At home, I sowed some Teepee dwarf French beans in trays seed trays.

Thursday 14 May

Most of the tulips at home had now finished flowering so I lifted the Rasta Parrot and Fireworks from the troughs and replaced them with begonias and geraniums. I also planted geraniums in the containers in the back garden and sowed some Cobra climbing French beans in seed trays. I repotted some Kashmiri chillies which had been given to me by the organic gardening group.

It was time to do some strimming around the beds at the plot and I constructed a bamboo "wigwam" in one of the vacant beds where I directly sowed some Cobra climbing French beans and planted some Teepee dwarf beans in another. We also planted out some more wild garlic under the apple tree.

Friday 15 May

Most of the Winter Red onions had grown flower scapes, so will probably not store well and they will need lifting soon.

15 May - Winter red onions

15 May - Winter red onions - flower scapes

The last of the Fireworks tulips that I had picked were still surviving.

15 May - Fireworks tulip

Saturday 16 May

I removed weeds from around my new galvanised bed, laid cardboard and woodchip. There was a self seeded, and now established, chard plant just outside the bed which I decided to leave and to remove later after harvesting.

16 May - the new bed and self seeded chard

16 May - the new bed

The mangetout in the new bed had done well and it was time to pick them.

16 May - Mangetout

Monday 18-24 Monday 25 May

We were away in our campervan for a trip to the North East, visiting the Yorkshire Coast and then to see my son and family in Northumberland. Whilst there I visited an old friend, Chris Mullin, to see the walled garden he had reclaimed on the Callaly Castle estate just south of the border with Scotland.

23 May - entering Chris's walled garden - Callaly Castle estate in background

And of course, I had to visit the estate allotments!

More photos of our trip can be found at

There was really bad weather for the early part of our trip with strong winds, hail and heavy rain but at the tail end the sun cameout and we drove home on the hottest day of the year!

Tuesday 26 May

Fortunately all our plants at home had survived our absence, including the chillis that my neighbour, Tonino, had given me.

26 May - Yellow bonnet, scorpion and chillis

On the plot, there were peas to be harvested - a bit past their best but still delicious.

26 May - Meteor peas

Wednesday 27 May

After a period away, I was pleased to see that all crops had survived (and so had the weeds!) and ther was a plentiful harvest of radishes, broccoli, peas and broad beans.