There is an old adage that rings in my ears every year as I put my veggies into the ground. 'Ne'er cast a clout till May be out'. Sounds pretty simple, but year after year, I throw caution to the wind and after protecting my grow babies like a helicopter parent, I lash them into the ground with abandon. Then I regret it. Like, really regret it.

Ok, so that might be a little exaggerated but, this May has been unseasonably cold. With morning temperatures plummeting to -4, I lay in my cosy warm bed, cursing myself for not keeping my plants in the green house for another few weeks.

Frost burn on spuds is almost like sunburn, but in reverse. The icy air causes the exposed leaves to curl up and die….literally and figuratively. What was a beautiful bush of healthy, thriving leaves is left looking Ursula’s “poor unfortunate souls“ in The Little Mermaid

A quick trip to Woodies and 2 rolls of gardeners fleece later and my allotment now resembles a crime scene. Every bed is tucked in, protected from the frost that we are expecting over the next few days - however I have a sneaking feeling that now they are protected, we are going to have glorious weather. Makes sense!

So, lesson learned. Next year, I’ll head the warning and plant out N’er a clout…..but then again, we have a short enough growing season….maybe not.