Apart from feeding the chickens and checking that the new girls are coping in the main coop, we spent half an hour harvesting the first of our crops. As my husband got busy picking our white strawberries, I ran around making sure that all the chickens had a full water bowl. Chickens can't lower their body temperature very easily and it's vital to make sure they have a large supply of fresh water when it's hot.

For good measure, we also collected strawberries from one of the raised beds that Geoff has kindly lent us. Giving my husband strict instructions not to eat any before we got home, I got busy pulling five first earlies. They came up easily and beautifully. I couldn't believe how big the tubers were! It has been a good few years since we had a good potato crop with excessively wet or dry summers. The last time we were hopeful if a good crop, we had an attack of blight which ruined them all.

With England playing in the Euro 2020 final tonight, we will be watching the match with bated breath and a plateful of homemade wedges...

 This post is ad-supported
​