The only good thing about having a rotten cold for a few days is the time it gives one to think and plan ahead. Though, actually, I've spent a lot of thinking time for several months now about how the plot will look when I've got the glass riddled out, with a potting shed and poly-tunnel to bring seedlings away.

The picture is a representation of the sort of scheme I have in mind for the beds. I imagine this is how No.4 bed will look next year, with brassicas, and ignoring the fact that it should be more irregular in the bottom right corner, where the cherry trees are.

Along the bottom, the hedgerow, next to which in pink is the skinny brick path. At the top the purple line represents where comfrey is growing along the central path edge. The bright green areas at the two ends of the bed will be perennial edibles and/or herbs. In the middle will be something edible or otherwise useful and architectural: teasel, sunflowers, angelica, globe and jerusalem artichokes...

The coloured dots represent whatever annual crops are growing there, according to the rotation, planted in rows or circles or clumps or spirals.