Spuds

Today we sowed the seed potatoes (all 77 of them!). In the spud-bed-to-be we found garlic seedlings. I don't know whether they will make it to adulthood, but we thought we might as well give it a go and so I moved some to the bed under one of the step-over apples. They seemed happy enought at first but over the next few hours went a little floppy - hopefully they'll perk up!


The spud beds got a dig over and the strawy manure mixed in. I then marked out the rows and sowed them from side to side in long rows rather than short 'across the bed' rows like last time. I got single rows of Red Duke of York, Swift, Kestrel, Romano and Valor and two rows of Pink Fir Apple. I still have well over 100 left :oS so will probably sow some in bags or tubs at home too.


The left-overs!!!

The boy's pal on a plot next to ours has just had a raised bed made up for him. This meant that the boy then really wanted a bed of his own to dig (something he has shown no interest in - despite my encouragement for the last year and a half!). While on one hand I think it is brilliant, on the other hand the bed was spoken for for other veg . Dunno where my parsnips or red onions will go now! :o(

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Anyway, as the spuds were demanding all my attention, I showed him where the bed was and said that 'if he really wanted it he will need to look after it or I will need plant my veg in it - here's a fork!' and left him to it. Well, I think it was the best thing I could have done! Up until now even with me saying I'll help him dig, even sorting him some link-a-bords, he never spent more time on it than to sow some seeds. However, TODAY he dug it over, weeded it properly and put up a little wigwam for peas ready for next time we go (with the minimum amount of help needed to put the net on it). I'm really proud of him! The girlie turned up a half hour later and I gave her what was left of the bed and she dug hers too! Brilliant!

The PSB has at last bloomed!