Final Batch of Potatoes

Only went for a wander and met someone who was planting potatoes and I remembered that I had a few left to do. So I got the rest in; Main crop Maris Pipers and some Anya, the funny looking ones that apparently were 'created' specifically for Sainsburys.  2 rows just north of the garlic - didn't take a photo because, after all, it is just soil at the moment. 

(Actually I took a lot of phots of 'just soil' last year, and few this - maybe there comes a point in this Allotment game where you're not super excited at merely planting things...)

Crop rotated potatoes

Potatoes are in and 'rotated' to bed number 1.  

2 rows of Maris Bard- 'First Earlies' and then 3 rows of Nicola - '2nd Earlies'.  Some main crop, and Anya still to get in but I'll do that later the week.

Chitting a-plenty

What a strange verb - 'chitting','to chit' (certainly confuses the spell-checker).

Anyway it's all coming along nicely and I think they could be nearly ready.

I'm stealing glances at other peoples plots; some have started others are waiting.  Am I the only one stealing glances - or maybe they're waiting for me?

Strawberry patch maintenance

Put some chicken manure pellets on the strawberry patches.  Not really worth a picture- just saying.

Path building

It's clearly too early to plant stuff so I thought I'd tackle a bit of path-building. The 'entrance' path is more than a bit dangerous so that's a good starting point.

Here it is in all its glory

And here it after a bit (i.e. a lot) of huffing and puffing - just working out where things might go of course.

All I have to do now is get a bit of a base together (sand and cement maybe) level it off and re-lay everything so it nice and smooth.  Easy-peasy.  Final image to follow, in a week or so I hope.

Beaucoup de Garlic

Finally, something is in the ground.  Garlic.  2 varieties - Solent Wight, that actually said 'Plant in Autumn' but I ignored that bit, and Arno, that said in 'Plant in Spring' so that's good.  

When you split the bulbs up there are a surprisingly large number of cloves to plant so, if it all grows, I think I'll be looking for a bike, a beret and a stripes T-shirt later this year.

Here we go again!

The seed arrives, the sun comes out - excitement mounts for Year2. 

Time to get some potatoes chitting too, although there's quite a bit of commentary around (internet-based of course) on whether to chit or not.  Maybe I'll chit half the potatoes and not chit the others, and then write up the results as an academic paper . . . or maybe I won't.  Perhaps best to switch the internet off and listen to what the other chaps at the allotment say.  

Oh no! They're all saying different things too!

Seed packets from the Real Seed company look nice though.