Potato Potato Potato

Potato Potato Potato…




Well we are now calling the back garden, which is a terrace roughly 90ft by 15 ish… the Harley Davidson Garden… cos its full of potatoes… I keep wandering round it going Potato Potato Potato…, which is a joke only people who are into motorcycles may understand…

It’s taken us three days to plant the huge boxes our lovely neighbour arrived with, completely free the other day. Poor Rick, his back and arms are really suffering from digging all those trenches. But it will be worth it come summer when they feed us for months…

And just when Rick thought there was light at the end of the tunnel…when it came to planting, there was our neighbour again today… with another box of seed potatoes…

Last year he gave us two large boxes, we are not sure where they come from as he is quite elderly, disabled and doesn’t grow any veggies at all nowadays, he says he’s too old. He used to breed pigs, so has contacts within that area and I suspect they are actually pig food potatoes…

We really don’t care, they grew and were delicious last year and this year we have tons more…

Obviously we gave him a couple of sacks, and also kept him supplied with fresh veggies all summer and autumn and he is more than happy with the arrangement, and keeps leaving a bottle of Port or the odd cheese on our step… He called in tonight, again with wine and cheese, stayed for a drink and some soup and left. Lovely man. Nearly always part drunk, but lovely.



Today we spent the morning planting again, Rick bless him was up and rototilling at the crack of dawn, before even I was up, so we could get all the bean poles up and all my beans planted before lunchtime. So we have now, tons of broad beans podding up nicely down the orchard, and today we put in, a long double row of runner beans and climbing waxy pods, that the lovely Minxy sent mew when I said on here that my beans had been munched by bugs,

Also planted this morning, were French beans, Portuguese green beans, a bit like a dwarf runner, and some Borlotti beans again a present from Minxy… (Thanks again mate)

This afternoon we spent a couple of hours planting peas… lots of peas, although we always plant tons, there is never enough, Rick loves peas…. I also managed to find a spare corner for some corn, as we have three lots this year, but one lot has to be kept separate, in case of cross pollination. The rest will go in the Harley Davidson Garden along with the tomatoes…. just about…



Tomorrow, after market, I plan to clean the cottage ready for new guests, while Rick puts up more beanpoles, then we’ll plant the final beans. A huge block of carrots, a block of beets, a block of Spinach, three rows of Basil, two of Parsley, two of Coriander, and we have some more cabbage, caulis and broccs ready for planting out too…

Then I have to cook a three-course meal for our new guests… I think I will sleep well tomorrow night…



The rest which is tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, squashes, melons, chillis etc wont go in for at least a couple of weeks yet. I have some Okra just starting to pop up in pots in my new little seed house but again they wont be ready for outside for a couple of weeks yet…

Our strawberry bed looks good, I don’t really expect much this season, but as long as they thrive and establish themselves, I’ll be happy, my blackcurrant cuttings (all 60) of them seem to be going well.. What I’ll do with them all Im not sure yet….