Potato planting time

Saturday: 
Yes Potato planting time. 
These 1st early Pentland Javelin & Foremost are ready to go in, they have been 'chitting' since Jan and now the weather is better the soil is ready too.

As previous years, I dug a trench, put lots of well rotted manure in the bottom, back filled slightly and watered well. Then placed a potato every 12" along the trench, then raked the soil back over. 
So 6 rows now done , 3 of each. I have Charlotte still to put in and 2 lots of Mains yet to put in.

Sunday: 
I finished digging over this patch, I think the main Potatoes will have to go here as I have them 'chitting' at home.

I noticed the Apple trees have buds, almost flowers now, we are excited and hope to have lots of Cox's Apples this year.

Also the Damson tree, now in its 3rd year, is full of blossom we cant wait to see the fruit it bears, as last year we only got 1or 2 fruits.

The next really big job is sorting out the front of our plot, needs a new fence, since the old one blew down in a recent storm! A new gate & a hard standing area for the car too. So we have been clearing and measuring for the new fence, so watch this space.

But at least the potatoes are now labelled. 
I always print & laminate labels and use them as sack labels for when in storage.

So a busy weekend, Jo did some digging & weeding and planted some Runner Beans into cells, as she prepared the bed and added plenty of muck ready for them.

I put a few posts in ready for the new fence, that I have now measured for and have the timber ready.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian & Jo 

March almost over and we got lots done, again!

Jo got busy in the greenhouse planting 3 different lots of Peas, some in halved toilet roll tubes and some in cell trays.

On our arrival we noticed the Damson has lots of blossom on it already, only last week it was in bud.

The strawberries Jo planted out last week have taken and look healthy.

The Garlic I planted also has taken and put more growth on.

I made a new planter for the Strawberries in the fruit cage, so Jo got more new stock plants in, these are a late variety.

More Strawberries in the fruit cage, same as the ones in the new planter.

 

The Rhubarb is getting bigger, might be harvesting a few stalks soon, maybe for a crumble or wine?

Was a lovely sunny sunny day, a bit windy at times, but we got lots done. 
I cleared the front of our plot, as it needs a new fence and parking bay for car, found a few pallets that were a bit rotten so put them on the bonfire with the weeds, they burnt a treat!

Anyway after 5 hours we were shattered, despite having a coffee break and lunch, all the hard work was worth it.

We noticed that the Frog spawn in the pond had changed, from black dots to a comma shape, so wont be long before we get Tadpoles. 
No sign of the guarding Frogs either.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian & Jo

A quick, but productive few hours :)

First job of the day was to put in the Garlic, as  its ready to plant. 
As they are starting to grow the 3rd leaf, its better to get them in.
6" apart in rows, 12" between each row.

Jo planted 2 lots of Strawberry plants now that the beds have been replenished with manure & the weeds removed. We bought new plants, early, mid & late varieties to give us a longer crop, May to October.

Jo started to restock the herb bed too, she sunk a long trough (along the left side) and put mint in it. 
Using a pot or trough this way prevents the mint from spreading & taking over the bed! 
Chives, Marjoram & Hisop were also planted.

We are so excited, we have frog spawn in our pond, we spotted at least 2 Frogs guarding it. 
We added some oxygenating plants to help keep the water clear & fresh. 
A marsh marigold was planted at the pond edge for the wildlife too.

The sky looked a bit grey & rain was forecast, so we tidied up and called it a day, at least we got a few things done. 

Little and often is best, while the weather is so up and down!

We also noticed loads of blossom buds on the Damson tree, so lets hope we get more than 1 fruit this year. 

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian & Jo

Wet Sunday & Sunny Tuesday in March

Sunday: 
It was going to be a wet day, so we started early, 9am in fact. This is the bed that we cleared & emptied last week

So I lined it with weed suppresant, double thick on the sides. 
It didn't rain so I carried on.

Then re-filled with the soil taken out, as many weeds & roots were removed as possible, but as we plan to re-plant with herbs there is no need to add anything, they prefer poorer soil. 
Still no rain at 11am, but it did start around 12, so I went home.

Tuesday: 
The Garlic I started off about 2 weeks ago, have done well, we put them outside in the day and put back in the greenhouse at night, soon we will leave them out all the time before planting in the ground.

The greenhouse, at home, is full of things started off, including the Garlic mentioned above, on the right is a box of cut and come again mixed salad leaves and are lovely.

Back on the plot, now its sunny again. 
I finished digging over the Potato patch, the earth under the blue tarpaulin can wait, hopefully the cover will slow the weeds down!

Rhubarb leaf finally, it really wont be long now, unless the cold spell we are told is imminent will slow it down again.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian & Jo