First seeds in!

More digging and clearing of grass, but it's going well. Probably almost a third of usable ground has been dug over now (i.e. not including the space marked out for the shed, seating/BBQ area or compost), with assistance from my lovely wife Anne, who doesn't hang about when she's got a garden fork in her hands.

The Under Gardener had a bit of a go too...

(Apologies for quality, taken on a camera phone...)

...he did a sterling job gathering up perennial weed roots for the incinerator as well.

I finished the morning on the plot by sowing my first seeds. A nice milestone.

Only two varieties:

• a Chinese radish 'Mantanghong', which I only bought as I liked it's colour, and I've never grown winter radishes.
• a few seeds of Spinach 'Matador', which were being given away free from the walled vegetable garden at Hughenden Manor when we visited on August Bank Holiday. It may be too late in the year to sow these really, but if we get a mild Autumn I might get a few leaves.

The rest of the currently dug-over area will be used for over-wintering onions, garlic and shallots, when they arrive in October.