Sunday 16 October 2011

Clearing, Planting & Harvesting still

Yesterday this patch still had the Peas, Dwarf French Beans, Climbing Bean frames, Purple Beans & the Purple Potatoes were here too. But I managed to clear all that away and plant out the late Onions, approx 40 White ones, will plant a few rows of Red too soon.

But was surprised to be still harvesting fruit this late in the year, see below.

Todays Harvest:
Carrots
Courgette
Dwarf French Beans
Horseradish
Purple Potatoes (just 3 left in the ground)
Squash
Strawberries
Tomatoes

And another 14lb of Markies Potatoes.





The Markies Potatoes, from Marshalls Seeds are described as 'it excels as a chipping potato and is considered by some 'chippies' to be even better than Maris Piper' now that's some recommendation.

I can agree it does perform very well Boiled, but best Baked, Fried or Roasted.

Markies also have a good all round resistance to disease & viruses.

I dug up 2/3 of a row here which weigh 14lb so I expect the yield to be approx 20lb per row, I planted 7 rows so total yield should be approx 140lb (63.5kg) not bad from an initial 4kg purchase.


The other important job to do at this time of year is have a Bonfire, all the weeds, dry foliage and dead woody plants (soft plants etc go in the compost bin) go on the bonfire and when all burnt down the 'potash' can be dug back into the soil.

An important tip:
If you are planing a Bonfire, always construct on the day of burning. If you pile up foliage over a few days then set light to it you might be Barbecuing some wildlife too.
At this time of year small creatures especially Hedgehogs might use your bonfire pile as a place to hibernate, so always check underneath.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian

2 comments:

  1. I love the smell of bonfires at this time of year.

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  2. Those potatoes sound fab - I might consider those for next year! And thanks for the bonfire tips - I'm still new at this and I wouldn't have thought! Mel xx

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