Update from Southern Sweden

Well, we haven´t had the frosts that are teasing you in the UK, but the warm weather we had from mid-April has left us and we have more seasonable 15-18 c during the day and 5-10c at night. The worst thing is we get no rain! My plot is sandy and VERY well draining so I am already struggling to keep things watered. Heaven help me in high summer.

Have so far planted out broad beans (doing well but must tent them as something is nibbling on them), peas (not doing well and being nibbled), mange tout (slightly better than the peas but not so good as the broad beans) and broccoli (all dead, will try to direct sow instead). Sowed two types of potatoes (second earlies, a finnish type called Timo and Swedish almond potatoes, nothing up yet), and today with the help of ds I sowed two types of carrot, beetroot, an old type of root veg called haferrot (no idea what it is), parsley root and radishes.

Moved some wild strawberries that were already on the plot into a shady bed and they are doing ok, but not much fruit coming. They are getting tall and the leaves are turning reddish. It seems to happen to everyone at the allotment so it must be normal! Seeded a bit of lawn in the centre of the plot and to my amazement there is some grass sprouting there.

Here at home we are sprouting two types of tomatoes, two types of chilis, one type of pepper, two types of cucumbers, three types of winter squash, one pumpkin, and some celery root and bulb fennel which I have no faith in as it says "tricky" on the packets. Mind you herb fennel is one of the only herbs which survived being transplanted onto the plot!

Tomorrow I head out again to water and sow the last packets of stuff- kale, more broccoli, broccoli raab, ruccola, spinach, more peas, haricot vert, top up my dismal herb seedlings, and put fleece over everything so it doesn´t get eaten. Then I will just water, water and water. And hoe. And hope.

Once I get the seedlings from home hardened off and planted out I´ll post a new update. Ds was supposed to take photos today but all he snapped was flowers growing on the paths! I´ll take a few tomorrow.

Good luck everyone and hope that´s the last of the frosts now.