Lidl's had lots of plants in on Thursday.  Tomatoes had little thumb size fruit on. My strawberries planted a week or so ago have got flowers on. They are off the ground by 4 foot and in a sheltered position in a planter I made from pallets.  Hefty thing it is... My beans are going in the shed at night... Just waiting until next month to start my " Little willie " chillies off.

Last Autumn I moved a large potted chillie plant into our front porch to ripen the fruits. The plant eventually died off but I left it and I've been picking the chilliest all winter.  

Supermarkets and corner shops indeed have bedding on sale now, but the best local garden centre is deliberately not stocking it for another fortnight

Looks like I better protect my Musa Basjoo tonight as we may be in for a touch of frost , been chancing my arm this year with the Banana having unveiled it last month ...I usually wait until May, 

Yes never plant out until we get to June my Dad used to say though by mid May around here it's usually ok. Certainly loads of bedding plants in garden centres etc right now and people buying them. It's a risk of course to plant them out but when they have gone they've gone as they say. With the dry and chilly night time conditions it is a significant risk to plant out even in the south.

On a different note many oak trees in leaf now but ash still bare around here. Pollen levels were high over the weekend I think with cars covered in pollen and my hay fever uncomfortable yesterday. Yet the pollen forecast on the met office site said low levels.

Buy the cheaper plants from supermarkets by all means, I do, but they will need extra care. Even cooler weather, not necessarily frosts, will check them and slow their growth. So you'll gain nothing from planting early and you may risk losing them. 

And of course bedding plants themselves vary enormously in their hardiness. Primula and viola types are frost-resistant to a point, but your Busy Lizzies will be finished in a grass frost.

The runner beans had bubble wrap on top and moved into the shed last night. The low outside was 4.7c. The shed was warmer at 7.0c. I shall leave them in there now to bring them on...

Leaves on my grape vines are starting to unfurl and my mum's has flower buds on it, although it's in a more sheltered position and South facing. My blackcurrants have finished flowering and so has my plum tree. Jam this autumn! 

ARTzeman,What runner beans do you grow? I usually use 'Moonlight' which is supposed to be self fertilizing but this year I'm going to add a more traditional 'Scarlet Emperor' to the list .   

String less Scarlet Emperor for the flowers and the beans. All-time Favourite ...    

Going to bubble wrap and cover the fruit trees which have bud and blossom on for tonight. God job they are in tubs. So not taller than 5ft....

Hope there is a lack of frosts now. Took bubble wrap off the flower buds on the fruit bushes. Should be ok if it is going to warm up....

Now that those wicked frosts are done I thought I'd take stock. Radishes, turnips and cabbages in the ground were not bothered, nor were the broad beans (no surprise there) or the asparagus- although there are only two spears up this year. Peas are fine: I've planed half in the beds now, and will use the others as pea-shoot salad. Runners are fine and transferred four of those to large pots where they'll stay until perhaps the end of June. Everything else remains in pots & trays, including the courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes and chillies, in case we need to run for the shed!

Looks like being in central England has faired well for your plantings. No showing of my beans yet. Only a few cosmos have made it.  All the herbs are doing well so no new plants needed. Wish the raspberry canes would get a move on. There are some strawberry  plants that have kept their flowers. The lilies in the same planter are over  a foot high so they should do well this year....

Runner  beans now have their canes and already some need extra twine around. raspberries have not done anything yet. Still a chance for them to start this month . Fuchsias are planted in the hanging basket and on its hook. Petunias  are planted in TWO tubs and flowering ok. Rosemary and lavendula are also in flower and attracting the bees. Apple mint has now put on a spurt so have  the garlic and fennel plants. The chooks love the fennel and leaves from them. All last years herbs are still growing well and being used. .... 

It's generally considered safe to plant out tender bedding plants at the start of June and I've finally got my baskets planted. I won't be planting my usual veg due to time constraints with other commitments just now but my garlic is doing well and promises a good crop. The plum tree is laden and looking good for jam making but the gojiberry is looking quite sad. 

The runner beans are certainly liking the rains of the past few days .Have been shooting up the canes. Going to get more seeds to sow for another tub .. They last well after blanching and stored in the freezer. The recently planted basket an tubs are doing well. They are in a sheltered spot so not affected by any sudden gusts. .....

Since using our wonder spray (glucose solution) on the first blackfly colony to appear on the broad beans at the start of the month, there have been no more. It's late June, and the beans are covered in fat, bulging pods that have never had really nasty stuff on them.

TWO tubs of runners are climbing well. now reached about 52 inches. Todays rain will do them good. Must feed them with tomato fertiliser  this weekend , and all the other 35 containers.....

The blackcurrants are now half in; this is about a week and a half earlier than last year and two weeks earlier than the year before.

Our runners are growing well Art; we have one 20cm bean on one plant, and nothing but flowers on all the others! How odd!

I didn't grow beans this year and I'm missing them.

I have plenty of garlic that I dug up yesterday.  It's a month early and it didn't produce any scapes this year but the tops had died back and the bulbs are a good size.