Hurrah for our polytunnel. Several things we have planted recently — Allium fistulosum (welsh onions), Lactuca sativa (lettuce) and Petroselinum crispum (parsley) — have sprouted well and started showing their true leaves. We have now cleared a patch of ground inside the tunnel, sieved in a mixture of earth and compost and planted them out.

Will these grow to harvestable size? It remains to be seen but all are relatively hardy species and we are confident that the additional warmth of the tunnel should help them out.