A lot of interesting things happened today, and I’ll tell you all about them in a moment — but first, something completely different. There’s a huge black bee that keeps visiting my garden. It’s a species that was once thought to be extinct, but after the coronavirus pandemic, it suddenly reappeared.

Unfortunately, I never have my camera ready to take a picture of it, but it’s absolutely beautiful! It’s about the size of a hornet, but its entire body — including the wings — is covered in deep black pigment. Maybe one day I’ll manage to show it to you!

Now, back to the “successful day in the garden.” The beetroot and Swiss chard seedlings we planted in early March have grown so much that I’m planning to harvest them tomorrow — they no longer fit under the tunnel. If the weather’s good, I’ll definitely have my hands full. After picking the leaves, I’ll need to freeze them right away so they don’t spoil!

My wife says we’ll have enough Swiss chard to last us for ages, so in its place we’re going to plant Brussels sprouts — something completely new for us!

We bought the Brussels sprout seedlings today at the garden center, but that wasn’t our only purchase. As I was walking by, I just happened to spot some baskets with Toscana strawberries — a climbing variety with pink flowers that produces fruit continuously for half a year, right up until the first frost!

To my surprise, one of the baskets was full of runners! When we got home, I managed to plant ten root offshoots. Honestly, it felt like the deal of the century!

And what else did we get? Two lavender bushes. I planted them in large pots and placed them on the terrace. I read somewhere — though I can’t confirm it yet — that once they bloom, they’re supposed to repel wasps.

Maybe I read too much, but I really hope that’s true. Wasps are useful, but damn, they’re annoying!