The hot weather has been good for the potatoes; only the Pink Fir Apples are lagging behind, but they are maincrop so that’s not an issue.
This time last year, my potatoes were much further advanced, with some showing flowers on 18th June 2020. Then, I grew Swift, Desiree and Pink Fir Apple; so it’s probably a combination of weather and different varieties that’s put me behind.
Continue reading “The Potato Diaries #3”
June
The Community Garden held their AGM on Saturday 12 June. I fully intended to go, but at the last minute something came up and I missed it. Hopefully someone has made a note of what was discussed and with circulate them. But we got there two days later, when the weather was much cooler with a few spots of rain, though not enough.
Continue reading “The Allotment Diaries: June (into July)”25 March 2021
With warmer days towards the end of March, the potatoes are sprouting well.
It will soon be time to choose the best three or four shoots on each and remove the remainder – perhaps this is where I’ve gone wrong in previous years, by assuming the more shoots the better. (NOTE: I didn’t remove any shoots as they’d not grown many more than shown in these pictures)
Continue reading “The Potato Diaries #2”24th January
Seed potatoes are already appearing in garden centres now the Christmas decorations have finally been removed.
With my new allotment bed now available for the coming year, I have decided to plant early potatoes – Swift for preference – in containers at home, and main-crop potatoes – Desiree once more – at the allotment, where I have room for sixteen plants using the Square Foot gardening technique. I don’t think I’ll bother with second earlies this year.
Swift are on the left and Desiree on the right. I ‘rescued’ this polystyrene tray from the packaging on the top of my new washing machine and thought it would be ideal for chitting the potatoes. Continue reading “The Potato Diaries: 2020 – January to May”
August
In this post, I mentioned that I’d seen a post about planting potatoes to grow for Christmas. I planted up three potato bags, with three tubers in each, using the compost remaining in my old green compost bin – 4 inches below and 4 inches above. I gave the bags a good soaking after placing them on the shady patio. Continue reading “The (Final) Potato Diaries of 2019”
While we are still working our way through the pots of Swift first early potatoes (we’ve eaten the potatoes from two pots, have one nearly empty, and one not touched), with Nicola (one pot) and Desiree (two pots) to follow, thoughts turn to planting up some bags so we have new potatoes for Christmas.
Swift Desiree
I hadn’t thought of doing this (or that it was possible) until I read a post dated 7 August by Karen at Bramble Garden. Thanks for the tip! Continue reading “The Potato Diaries”
8th June
After a week’s holiday, I came back to this – every pot is overflowing with foliage. I wonder if there is some way I can extend the height of each pot so that I can add more compost?
After several very hot days, and with the promise of a shower or two (meaning NO FROST), I have planted up my potatoes in pots – after first removing the temporary herb garden to its permanent home. Continue reading “The Potato Diaries”
The the start of March, I spent a happy forty minutes discussing vegetable planting plans with my hairdresser; talk turned to potatoes and how (and where) to plant them. Continue reading “The Potato Diaries”
At first glance, not a lot has changed in the four weeks since I set out my early potatoes (Swift), but a closer look shows there is some new growth. Continue reading “The Potato Diaries”
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