Potatoes wont wait any longer!

These Cara potatoes, have been 'chitting' for ages, we moved them into the spare room, which is darker than the dining room windowsill. So have longer shoots than I would like, but they are still chunky, not long and spindly.

So as I didn't get a chance to fortify this area with horse manure (didn't have any well rotted left anyway) so I watered the trench well with Comfrey Tea water & also put Comfrey leaves in the bottom of the trench. I planted them the same way as the other potatoes except for placing the 'Cara' seed potatoes, a main crop, 15" (38cm) apart, in trenches 30" (75cm) between.

Everything is growing fast now, the early & second early potatoes are doing so well I cant earth them up anymore.





In this patch, we have the Broad Beans, Onions x2, Shallots, Courgettes x3  & Cabbages too.

I'm particularly pleased with this raised bed, we have crammed lots into it, Peas, Lettuce, Pac Choi, Spring Onions, Radish & Spinach. 

Its all doing well too

In this patch we have Leeks, Garlic, more Peas, Beetroot & Carrots. 
I'm helping a PHD student from Aberystwyth University with a Carrot planting study, where a 1mtr square border of resistant 'Flyaway' carrots are planted, with non resistant carrots planted inside the square, to see if the non resistant carrots are attacked by carrot root fly. The study ends in September when I have to report on the findings at harvest.

While digging the trenches for the Cara potatoes, this brave Blackbird was collecting up worms for his/her offspring, a nest must have been near, as it visited many times while I was digging.

So this looks like a neat patch, well its got 7 rows of Cara spuds 12 in each row! But at least they are all in now, I can relax. 
Until it's time for the next potato planting, I have 3 more rows of Kerrs Pink to plant! 

So a lovely day & our allotment is looking good now things are growing, still harvesting Rhubarb, Radish & Asparagus. 
We also put 3 Peppers into the greenhouse, in pots to go with the Tomatoes that are doing well. I will report on those next week.

Thanks for reading/returning. Ian