Wednesday 22 March 2017

A Cardboard Box Of Seed Potatoes And A Couple of Bags Of Onions.

Did you plant your seed potatoes on St Patrick's Day?   No we didn't either.  It's the first time in twenty plus years of growing vegetables that I couldn't get on the land to plant them.  I honestly think climate change is playing a big part in giving us milder and wetter winters.  Saying that there was sleet yesterday.  March is an exceptionally cold month this year.  There is nothing you can do, you just have to wait.





What seed potatoes are you planting this year.  We are growing 'Home Guard'.  They were first bred during the Second World War and are named after the Dad's Army "Local Defence Volunteers".  They are a first early.  Why are our new  potatoes always ready to harvest when it's too hot to eat them?  

21 comments:

  1. I've got one lot in, rocket - a first early. Probably won't bother with main crop, just like a few for salad potatoes really.

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    1. Hi Kev. I normally grow Orla. Think they originate in Scotland and are less prone to blight. I have grown Rocket. They don't take long before they are ready to harvest. Thanks!

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  2. Tried potatoes once and got a small crop but they all had weird purple streaks in the middle and they ended up on the compost. We stick now to the usual summer plants

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    1. Hi LA. The purple streaks do sound weird. You can't beat freshly grown and picked vegetables. Hope the weather is good over there. Still very cold here.

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  3. We traditionally plant on Good Friday here although a moving feast the date therefore varies! Usually we go for some King Edwards and an early variety grown straight into a compost heap, and the variety is whatever the shop has left over!

    You have been quiet Dave!

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    1. Hi Rachel. We don't bother with maincrop mainly because the blight tends to cause a lot of problems and you can buy them cheap enough. Early potatoes are delicious. I love to peel their sking with my thumb nail.

      I haven't had much to say Rachel. Hope you are well!

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    2. Dave, you have a lot to say. For any one outside of where you live your life is exotic! As I have told others, if you told us what you ate for breakfast it would be interesting. Your life maybe 'same old-same old' for you but it's totally foreign to me!! Well, not totally, but you know what I mean.

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    3. Thanks Linda. I just los my blog mojo some times. Thanks for the encouragement.

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    4. Rachel, I should have read your comment first. I've just repeated about Good Friday.

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  4. It's far too warm here for March according to weather experts. About 3'C too warm on average. Same last year which resulted in 200 million euros of damage, including for example the apricots which had blossomed too early. Our second lot of Sahara sand of 2017 will be here soon. It obscures the sun and makes everything dirty. At least your rain is clean. So that's a blessing. So long as you have some dry periods too.

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    1. Hi Gwil. I was amazed how hot it was when I went to Vienna and Poland in August 2014. It was 36 degrees in Krakow. Thanks!

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  5. I grew 'Nicola' earlies - they harvest just right to have nicely buttered, warm potatoes with salad. Yum!
    i Still haven't planted any seed potatoes this year as we've had constant rain for weeks - I suspect that Cornwall is drowning!
    - Rosemary

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    1. Hello Rosemary. Cornwall sounds like West Cork. The last 3 days there has been a big improvement in the weather and we managed to plant our seed potatoes this morning. Thanks!

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  6. I have started some off in bags in the poly as like Ramble I live in Cornwall and think if I put the bags outside they would either float or blow away.

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  7. Hi Chickpea. I always wanted to live in Cornwall. Ireland gets more than its fair share of rain too. The last few days have seen a massive improvement and we actually managed to plant the seed potatoes yesterday and strim the overgrown lawns. I am sure you will get some nice weather soon. Thanks!

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  8. Yay! The sun arrived today and the temperatures were much higher. Still a bit breezy but it's been a wonderful day. I planted some rose bushes, weeded the patio (jungle!) and cut both lawns again. Also got washing dried - sunshine and breeze are ideal for that. I'm happy again now!

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    1. Good to hear the weather improved Rambler.

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  9. Our Potatoes always went in on Good Friday.

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    1. It's always been traditional to plant potatoes on St Patrick's Day in Ireland. Thanks!

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  10. We still haven't planted our potatoes yet, but will do so eventually as we have been busy with doing other things!

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  11. Hi Vera,

    We planted our last Friday. I also strimmed the grass because it was too wet to mow the lawns. Thanks!

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