Potatoes, and a greenhouse.

I know you shouldn't start a sentence with 'because', but I'm going to anyway...;

Beacause I didn't start this blog until 3 months after I started rescuing 'the lottie', there's quite a lot to catch up with, so please excuse me if I miss anything out, or seem out of sequence with myself....

So, potatoes...

Back in January (when I knew I was getting a plot, but hadn't seen it), I got a little carried away with my seed order (?!) and ordered 3 types of seed potato - Desiree main crop, Charlotte salad and new variety Harlequin second earlies. Once I had actually seen the plot in early February, I knew I was going to have my work cut out to get ground ready to plant them all in, as well as the onion sets, shallots and garlic that I mentioned earlier. After the weeks it seemed to take to prepare the onion bed, I knew I had my work cut out! So I had to look for some solution, and it needed to be quick - the weather was warming up sooner than expected, and all around me other plot-holders were getting their spuds in the ground! Cue the wise Grapes on The Grapevine, with some great advice;

1. Mark out a bed, and loosen the soil. Take out any large roots which work loose turning the soil.

2. Cover the bed with a layer of cardboard (preferably the thick corrugated box sort) and dampen.

3. Cover the cardboard with a thick mulch of 'organic matter' - homemade compost, or well rotted manure

4. Cover the whole lot with weed suppressing membrane.

5. Leave for a week or so

6. Cut holes through membrane, push a trowel through mulch and what's left of the cardboard, and push your seed potato as far down as possible.

So that's what we did with the Desiree.

And, this is what they looked like a few days ago!

I'm really pleased with how they're doing so far, and the occasional weed which is managing to push through is really easy to pull out. Result!

We decided to take the same approach for other veg that can cope with being planted through plastic, and the next bed has been prepared ready for squash, courgettes and outdoor cucumbers. They are hardening off in a cold-frame at home, to be planted out in a week or so. More later!

The salad potatoes needed a different solution, and we decided to use Spud Tubs - basically a big, black, polypropolene tube - I used them last year, and they worked fine. So the Harequin (a cross between Charlotte & Pink Fir Apple) were planted in those on the lottie, and the Charlotte in big patio tubs at home. Since then I've been gradually adding compost, until the tubs were full. They are looking super healthy, and hopefully we'll get a good crop.

I know, the middle one's wonky!

The job I'm in the middle of now, is still the joy of sieving soil - bed #2 still isn't clear, and I have sweetcorn plants nearly growing out of the top of the cold-frame, desperate to be in there!

Progress so far;

Only a third left to do!

And I've saved the best bit 'til last!!

Greenhouse!!!!