Three six inch trenches hang dug and potatoes planted at a foot a part. I cut Buddleia branches for row markers like I did on the other potato growing sites. These should strike roots and I will have even more shrubs.
All covered up and my four prong pike takes a rest.
Hopefully next week the weather will improve and the ground will dry out and I can plant my early potatoes outside around the 17th of March. I have dug 3 trenches and manured the potato area ready on one side of the tunnel.m
The Bim and Purple Rain are chitting along with the British Queens. These will go on the other side of the tunnel.
We like new potatoes at our house. Have you planted any potatoes yet? Or will you wait until it's Scorchio and you hear yourself say ths following:
" It's too hot for potatoes" and: "Is it hot or it me?"
So far I have planted Nicola, Charlotte and a few mayan gold and a purple potato (forgotten its name( which holds its colour. I notice I have a sweet potato about 6" high. The apricots and peaches have all flowered early and have set well. My tomaio and pepper plants are growing well under a light and all the peas are up. so plenty of work to get on with,
ReplyDeleteHope we dont get too much frost now.
Kathy
Hi Kathy. It's good to read that your garden is productive at this time of year. My peas are sprouting and all the veg areas inside and outside of the tunnel are dug and ready for Spring planting. We have had very little frost but it's been wet for ages with only the occasional dry day. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm growing my potatoes in bags and I started my 1st bag yesterday, it's in the greenhouse, I'm growing Maris Peer, second earlies. I will do a second bag in a few weeks. I don't have room to grow them in the ground.
ReplyDeleteMaris Peer are very nice Marlene. Have you ever considered renting half an allotment?
DeleteAs it would only be me using it, hubby dislikes gardening, I would struggle to keep it, there aren't many allotments locally to us. Most homes here have big gardens, but ours has a house extension and a garage , so it's taken loads of growing space, Marlene, Poppypatchwork
DeleteJust a thought Marlene. I am sure there would be someone who would share an allotment or part of their garden with you? I often read allotment waiting lists in England and itsl sad when people can not obtain growing space.
DeleteYou'll be enjoying potato omelettes soon. Plenty of both!
ReplyDeletePotato omelette? Now there's a thought Linda. I will Google them. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAre the British Queens homosexual potatoes? When they come through, perhaps you can give the individual plants names - like Elton John, John Inman, Larry Grayson and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the etymology of British Queens YP. You will find they were introduced by a Scottish potato grower called Archibald Finlay. They became very popular in Ireland along with Kerr Pinks. My grandad use to always grow them.
ReplyDeleteThe Irish Potato Famine was a terrible episode but I sometimes wonder what did the inhabitants of Ireland eat before potatoes were introduced from South America via England and Scotland? Any idea?
DeleteGood question YP. I would imagine they naturally foraged and used wild flowers for food and medical treatment. Nettles for example have lots of uses. Ireland was mainly forest so there would be plenty of boar. The seas and fish were full of mussels and Atlantic trout and salmon and there were Pilchard palaces. They also grew a lot of grain and flax for weaving into linen and blankets. The Spanish or Sir Walter Raleigh who lived near Youghal introduced the potato and tobacco. Most of our vegetables came along the Silk Road. If you put The Potato in my blog search. There is a post I wrote about a book called The Potato by Larry Zuckerman. It's superb and goes from the Andes, to the Black Lumpers in the Great Famine and onto chip shops in Oldham for shift workers in the cotton mills.
DeleteReckon I'll grow rice this year, it has started so wet (and with global warming rice might be just the thing.)
ReplyDeleteI think that sounds like a good idea. We will all soon have webbed feet.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get such high yields, how do you store the potatoes to keep them from going bad?
ReplyDeleteWe just eat them most days River and give some away.
ReplyDelete