Last of the spuds

Whooo - got the last of my ten 9m rows of spuds in today. Decided to do it this afternoon during my PPA time. I looked at the weather on Saturday and it said showers all day Sunday and a nice afternoon today so I decided to make sure all my work was done yesterday to leave my PPA free. So, did all my planning and marking yesterday whilst the sun beat down outside - it did not rain until about 6.30pm yesterday. This afternoon I put the potatoes in and got rained and hailed on. Can't win. Well at least it's done and I can now concentrate on getting other things done.

My little one's plot has small calabrese seedlings and her carrots have just started to germinate. I think mine are just starting to poke up under their fleece too. At the weekend, I need to prepare a bed for my peas (onward and greenshaft - I am comparing the two as our plots are not suited to peas so I need a reliable one). I also need to prepare umpteen brassica beds and space for my calabrese. After that, it will be get space ready for my tomatoes and chillis.

Punctured Day

Well, today I was going to put my final two rows of spuds in but I have a dispute - not of my making with a neighbour across the road. He once (actually more than once) accused my son of stealing one of his son's Playstation Games. We heard from his son that the game had been found at their house but he has never acknowledged this and has continued to treat me and my family badly ever since. Anyway, the other day, yet another supermarket delivery van was blocking our road (we cannot get in and out when they do) and there was parking spaces by the side of the road so it could have pulled over. This happens time and time again and often makes me late. This time I was exit side of the van so I made a peaceful protest by parking my car in the middle of the road in front of it. I only visibly left it but monitored in constantly - the plan was to move it the minute the Asda man wanted to leave - I was only making a point. I was watching out the front room and when I saw him come out, I went to move my car. This neighbour got there before me and was slagging me off to the Asda man calling me a all the names under the sun. I did object to this (well you would) and the Asda man apologised. I moved my car, the Asda man left - end of matter. NOT!! My new front passenger tyre developed a puncture over night - this coincidentally happened when my son didn't steal the game too and when my partner tackled him about a similar allegation. The car was deliberately (according to the garage who changed it) punctured in two places in the wall so needed replacing as wall punctures cannot be mended. I am seething. I have better things to do and do not have the money to spare. This guy is a worthless human being who bullies and beats his kids and his wife. He has no friends, some members of his wife's family have told us that they all loather him but because I have no proof I am powerless.

Anyway, I did get one row of potatoes in this afternoon. I also carefully checked the wind direction and lit a fire - the wind then changed direction so I had to let it go out.

I do have PSB to harvest tomorrow and my spring cabbages are very nearly ready - I may cut one of those to go with my PSB.

Didn't do much today but did sow 186 stations of parsnip seed saved from last year. Unlike counting out three seeds per station with bought seed, because I had so much, each station got a pinch. Supposedly, it should germinate better than bought seed as well (according to Icy and Real Seeds) so may have one hell of a thinning job coming up. When it was bought, it was White Gem.

Sowed them on 8th April last year but it was much hotter and drier.

Having looked at last years blog, I had got the last of my spuds in a year ago tomorrow. I still have about four rows to do this year and I am not doing them tomorrow!!!

Broadcast Rights

On Wednesday my youngest daughter joined me up the plot to "see if Daddy has dug my bed yet" Needless to say, that became job number 0.5 as I finished what I was doing to dig her plot. It had spent the whole of last year covered with black plastic so was nice digging and the soil is lovely. On Thursday, she broadcast sowed some carrots and spring onions together and some calabrese. She wants to do parsnips next so she "helped" me dig the bed for my parsnips. I chose a different area because it would be easier digging but my first fork went straight into a bed of broken glass. Joy - as much time as it should have taken to dig the bed spent getting bits of glass out - and I will still be getting bits out for many years. Anyway, its now dug, has been raked twice and by next weekend, I should get my parsnips in (saved seed).

Have now got two more rows of potatoes in - Picasso and Kestrel. Have now got about three rows worth of potatoes left and will get those in over the next fortnight.

Sowed carrots yesterday. I have broadcast them down a foot wide row in between onions. I covered the seed with seed compost that I had wasted the day before by kicking a tray with ten different seed trays of brassica seed across the garden. I will be getting lots of brassica seedlings popping up where I hope to have carrots popping up. Might let them get big enough to have as micro-salad leaves.

Holibobs

Have got four rows of spuds in - mixed row of Emerald Vale and Homeguard, Desiree, Maris Bard and Red Duke of York. I am trying the 1st, MC, 2nd, 1st, MC, 2nd sequence I was trialling last year but did not complete due to blight. Trouble is they are predicting a milder than average, wetter than average summer so blight may be an issue again.

I have now got all my onions in - including the Stuttgarter Giant that my Dad gave me. I have left gaps in the onions for carrots which I am going to broadcast sow this year to avoid thinning.

To brighten up my blog, here are some pics:









This is the pond I have not got. It is teeming with life. I have tadpoles and also look to have dragon fly larvae which I am especially pleased about.













On the left of this one are my overwintering onions (Radar) and on the right, my garlic. Strangely enough, the garlic in the middle of the picture is exactly the same variety as the garlic on the right and was sown earlier. The beer cans are for putting on the end of canes by the way. I have not drunk them then left the tins lying about.

Brrrrrrrrr - tis supposed to be April but it bodes well for the summer.

Put in the first row of spuds today. Only about seven more to go. It started to snow as I was putting them in which is a first. Also, planted out my first lot of spring sown broad beans (Masterpiece Green Longpod) and have sown some more in the pots at home. My leeks are looking very sad. My chillis are a disaster - lost all my habaneros and my hot lemons (which I love) - too late to sow more I think. I have also lost all my Aubergines. My tomatoes are getting to the stage where they need pricking out as are most of the brassicas. The Evesham sprouts are a bit sluggish at germinating - I hope the seed is OK but it is far from being too late if not. My Gypsy peppers have now germinated and that is the last of the packet so it will be non-F1 (the Gypsies were a present) from Real Seeds for me next year.