Jobs to do this weekend include:
applying pre-emergence herbicides to paths & hedge bottoms. This means spraying or sprinkling granules under the hedge to prevent weeds growing. Spraying paths is tricky, because they must not be walked on until the chemical dries, or you will get ‘dead footprints’ over the lawn etc..
Planting potatoes & onions
The rest of the early potatoes will be planted, & the final lot of onions will go in
The time to sow Butternut Squash seed is when both the air and the soil have noticeably warmed up and the risk of frosts is past. But it is possible to start squash seed indoors 4 to 6 weeks earlier.
The seed will only germinate in temperatures over 60F, & the shoot will take between 1 & 2 weeks to emerge.
If starting off indoors:
Related articles:
There are three growing seasons for potatoes:
Early potatoes are planted from January to March and are ready for digging from May-July.
Second earlies are planted between February and May and harvested from July to October.
Maincrop potatoes are planted in April and harvesting is in September and October.
Second earlies and maincrop can be stored over the winter.
More detailed information can be found by clicking a list of harvesting times for potatoes.
Mint is a good plant for children to grow, because it is:
Find a small area which can be handed over to the child.
Mark it off with sticks, stones or bricks
Help clear the weeds & dig the soil
Plant runners of mint, begged from a neighbour, or from the garden center
Water well
 
Remember to ask for supplies of mint, from the child gardener, for:
Potatoes fall into two different types:
To check the type: mix one part salt to 11 parts water in a measuring jug and add the potato. The floury one will sink& the waxy one will float.
Texture Scale - Waxy=1 Floury =10
There are many different varieties of potatoes, with new ones being produced each year. The varying characteristics are:
Click on the image below to enlarge a chart showing the character of the most popular varieties.
The texture of the potato effects the cooking, so that different textures are more appropriate for certain methods of cooking, roasting, boiling etc.. Click here for more details of varieties for different cooking methods.
Click this link to download a pdf of characters of potato varieties
potatoes vegetable gardenDifferent potato varieties are suitable for different uses. Some varieties make excellent mashed potatoes, whilst other collapse when boiled & make a starch soup. This is so important in Ireland, that greengrocers still boil a sample of their potatoes each day & put the pan outside the shop, as proof that they are excellent boilers!
Click on this image to see an enlarged chart of uses:
General potatoes are good however cooked. King Edwards, Maris Piper and Desiree are excellent standbys, cooking well any way.
Boiling/mashing potatoes will stay firm when boiled. Place egg size pieces of potatoes in boiling water & simmer for about 20 minutes. Test the potatoes are tender right through with a sharp knife.
Roasting potatoes cook to a crisp outside, and soft inside. Place in very hot fat and roast in a hot oven for an hour.
Baking potatoes are cooked in a hot oven in their skins. Wash the skin and make a sharp cut all the way round. This will allow the potato to expand without bursting the skin. Read More »
The right time for sowing vegetable seeds varies according to the weather experienced in the spring. A cold spring will mean the ideal time is later than if it was a warm spring.
The soil takes time to warm up, to reach the right temperature for seeds to germinate.
Weeds are a good indicator. If it is warm enough for weed seeds to grow, it will be warm enough for some vegetable seeds to be planted.
Look out for the first seed leaves of weeds.
                  
As soon as the weeds appear, hoe them out.
Read the back of the seed packet to see the recommended time period for planting.
Listen to the weather forecast & cover the seeds & seedlings when frost is expected.
Today the covers were taken off the early broad beans & placed over the recently planted seeds.
Honey bees & bumble bees were buzzing about under the polythene, fertilising the bean flowers.
In gardens exposed to winds, the beans will have to be secured, so that they do not blow about.
              
Battered plants will loose too much moisture, bruise leaves and loosen & damage roots.
The beans can be loosely tied to stakes with string. 
If the stems are not fastened, all investment in time & effort in bringing the plants to this stage will be wasted. Spending time tieing the beans up will ensure a good harvest.
The soil between the broad bean rows was hoed. Constant hoeing of the soil, is quick and easy, if done when the weeds are tiny.
This shoe is ideal for gardening.� 
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