I have a small area on a plot where we have our communal fruit trees and the other part is worked by another gardener. It was a bit too much for him to look after the whole plot, he’s much older than me and in not very good health so I took it on.

I’ve got a net cage there where I had my Carlin peas for the very first time – they did very well and I’m sure I’ll grow them again next year. The rest were main crop potatoes. I dug it over and then decided I’ll use the tried and tested method of getting the place ready for growing beans.

I dug a long and deep trench and kept filling it up with anything and everything  – things I would put in my composter bins I put there. It filled very quickly and I decided to cover it up, dig the rest and erect the bean poles (if nothing else so I wouldn’t forget where the trench was!)

My next job was to be cutting down the raspberries. Got ready but when I looked I realised there were still loads of berries

so of course I had to pick them first. We had a big bowl of delicious Eton mess – not bad, fresh raspberries on 29. November! I know the traditional recipe calls for strawberries but I think using raspberries makes it even better, they were fragrant and very sweet and tasty.