It was a week of very few visits to the allotment - and I did miss going. I get enormous enjoyment from my visits and after a busy day at school, the peace and quiet and undemanding nature of the allotment is exactly what I need. It rained most of last week, and I had heavy after-school commitments all of which prevented me visiting the site. However, on Sunday, they whole family were off doing various activities so I packed a lunch and several drinks and took myself off for a reviving day of gardening.

As I had predicted, the week of rain had left the soil pleasantly damp and soft enough to weed - so that is just what I did. I managed to extract two or three bucket-loads of weeds from the ground and it looked much better for it. I haven't tackled the strawberry plot yet but I will do next week, with any luck. I cut down the comfrey and filled my two bokashi bins with it. I had already done this once this year, and the resultant juice makes a fantastic liquid feed. You can really notice the difference when you water it on to the plants. The bokashi system of waste management seems to me to be a bit of waste of time but the bokashi bins are perfect for this job as they have a drain and tap at the bottom and a lid so you don't have to come into contact with the evil smelling mush that the comfrey leaves turn into. The rest of the comfrey went on to the compost.

I also harvested - broad beans, french beans, beetroot, salad bowl lettuce, tom thumb lettuce, corn salad, rocket, potatoes and spinach. I have dried the onions and shallots, and am looking for a place to hang them all at home - so far the dining room table has had to suffice.

One of the other joys of the allotment is fellow allotmenteers (well most of them). They are friendly and most will stop to chat and give advice, if asked. Most are fairly busy with their own plots, so the conversations generally are quite short - all of which suits me fine.

I am desperate for a bit more space. My 5 rods is just about big enough, but I would dearly love a bit more space for fruit bushes, asparagus, artichokes and the like. Also there are some crops which we would love more of, like peas. The double row I planted has delivered two good meals of peas - but we all love them and more space would equal more peas! I have rung the council to put my name down for a larger plot, or a second smaller one, but with waiting lists being what they are, I suspect I will have a very long wait!