Couldn’t wait any longer. The polytunnel has kept the soil dry. The seed
potatoes have strong, stubby, green chits. So, I planted 6 Sharpes
Express & 6 Maris Bard today. I figured that if they do get caught by a
cold frost, I have still got some more chitting on the window-sill.
* planting depth 10cm
making-shallow-trench
* cover the potato with soil
cover-seed-potato
* planting distance in row 30cm
space-potatoes in row
* distance between rows 60cm
potato-rows-60cm-apart
Early potatoes are planted closer together than main crop, because we
harvest them when they are smaller.
Early potatoes should be ready for digging in 10-12 weeks!!
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It is quite a puzzle to decide which varieties of potatoes to grow.
Early potatoes:
* produce those small gems around Whitsun
* plant now
* space closer
Maincrop potatoes:
* plant in March/April
* space further apart
* produce larger potatoes
* will store through winter
This year we are growing:
EARLIES
* Sharpe’s Express
* Maris Bard
MAIN CROP
* King Edwards-baker,masher,roast
* *Pink Fir Apple*-boil, roast or salad
Search this blog for articles on chitting
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Should we follow the calendar or the weather?
Global warming, or not, this February has been warm & plants have started to grow early.
Traditionalists tell us we will have frosts in March so wait.
But watch the forecasts, or use the web.
Start planting & take precautions if frost is expected – cover the plants with fleece, evergreen branches – anything to trap warm air (like a string vest) & keep the frost off.
Wet soil is a problem because it is damaged when touched; it looses structure. Cover soil to stop the rain soaking it. But take the covers off when there is a drying rain.
To keep the rain off, cover with:
* cloches
* plastic sheet
* tin sheet
* anything waterproof that will not blow away
cover-bed-with-plastic
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home grown stirfry
The fresh veg are:
* white sprouting broccoli
* purple sprouting broccoli
* sprouts
* parsley
The stored veg are:
* garlic
* red onion
* white onion
* shallots
* carrots
* beetroot
* potato
I chop the stored veg into small pieces and cook them in hot oil, until the onion is clear. Then add finely chopped sprouts, & spears of broccoli. I add a small cup of water or stock, put the lid on and turn the heat off. After 8 minutes stir in the chopped parsley & there it is.
Fantastic, delicious veg all from the garden. The beetroot gives it a good deep colour.
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There is a mulberry tree in the grounds of Wilberforce House, close to the River Hull. Perfectly shaped, knarled and old, it crops well.
Wilberforce House in Hull is the birthplace of William Wilberforce.
William Wilberforce led the long and arduous campaign against the slave trade, which resulted in the abolition bill in 1807.
In 2007, it wa be 200 years since this momentous occasion. We will commemorate the abolition of the slave trade and celebrate the spirit of bravery, determination and the acceptance of others that helped make it happen.
To mark this important anniversary a mulberry tree has just been planted on the edge of our veg patch.
It evokes childhood memories of:
* mulberry jam
* carpets of fallen, juicy, red mulberries under the tree
* picking mulberry leaves
* the sound of pet silkworms munching on the leaves, in the quiet of the night
The mulberry in the garden will attract birds which will help keep down the insect pests.
Mulberries are adaptable and do well in more marginal soils and climates.
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Give the kids a seperate patch. Our pumpkins took over the salad strip.
Then we had to decide whether to smother the radish or kill the
enthusiasm of the junior gardener by kerbing the pumpkin shoots.
water
If they have there own patch away from the official veg garden, it is up
to them. Do they prefer a plate of radish at tea-time, or a proud
display of pumkins at Halloween Their young minds will probably find a
way of achieving both!
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Today we have been planting shallots. The ground was pretty dry as the plot had been covered.
We planted 2 varieties:
* Golden Gourmet
* Home Farm Best (passed down the generations of our family)
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I wore Joules wellys for the first time today. A green, stripy welly, with a matt finish.
Lab-&-Joules-welly
Not quite the thing in the shooting field, but a bit more fun in the garden. I really wanted the flowery ones, but they did not have my size.
The size is very generous. I reckon I could do with a half size smaller in these, than the standard green welly I have had in the past.
Welly-&-Lab
You always had to go for the larger size to allow for thick socks to keep your feet warm. But the Joules are really warm & do not need thick socks. They have a thick, insulated sole, which keeps the cold soil temperatures out. The printed lining helps, too.
Certainly recommended!
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* The Maris Bard potatoes in the eggtray on the window sill have opened their eyes and started to grow.
Maris Bard potato with chits after 20 days
* The small stems are called chits.
* They are kept cool so they grow slowly
* This makes them plump and strong
* The light makes them green
M Bard potato with 20 day chits
*
short, plump, strong chits will help the potato get off to a quick
start when they are planted in the ground.
*
This will mean new potatoes will be dug a few weeks early!
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