Kitchen Garden Forum

Emptied the foremost potatoes tub in the greenhouse and have replanted with sweet peppers.
Second feed of delicious first earlies, the ones in the ground at the allotment are probably little marbles, the soil is so dry and irrigating twenty rid by watering cam from a horse trough is impractical, I keep dreaming of silent invisible pumps and hoses, hoses are banned and we have no taps. ........,

Been taking my 1st Earlies (Abbot), not as tasty as expected & won't recommend! 2nd early Jazzy got nipped by late frost but recovering well & can't wait to lift the first! Pa snip recommended these to me & they do taste great, but even better they will become main crop as well! (Well if slimy friends don't ruin the party)!

I have carried buckets up the the spuds but some (not enough) rain fell today. 30% chance of rain tomorrow and a better than evens for Wednesday.

I've got some charlottes growing in a rubble sack, they are very tall and flowering. My mum says they are ready, but I am tempted to leave them a bit longer......?

Hi Westi
I grew Abbot earlies last year and agree with you about the taste. Won't be trying them again.

John

Thanks for the red veined spinach photographic update Stephen.
Does it have an "earthy" flavour?
I ask because one year i grew Bright Lights Swiss Chard with coloured red and yellow stems as opposed to my usual giant Fordhook white stemmed chard and we both found it had a disagreeable "earthy" flavour which was quite unpalatable.

I,ve been unlucky when growing spinach before. It,s always seemed to bolt on me too quickly despite regular watering whereas chard seems a more resilient leafy plant.

I planted four sets in a large tub placed it in the poly tunnel this would be around middle to end of February,I’ve given up planting spuds in buckets as I usually get very little return ,today I decided to empty it 39 spuds most large not many tiny ones I’m happy now

Our village show used to have a class for "one potato grown in a 9" pot". The pots were emptied at the show and the potatoes weighed. They no longer have this class, so I now always grow one early potato in 9" pots in a mixture of potting compost and well rotted manure. We have just emptied two of them and are always surprised at the yield and particularly how clean the potatoes are - no slug holes, no scab, lovely thin skin.
We also grow the later varieties in larger pots, three to each pot. Again, it's the cleanliness of the crop that is so attractive.

I believe that my rain has been stolen. Could be wrong, but it was clearly on the weather map yesterday for today & did not show! It could be delayed & hiding & going to come tomorrow, but the odds seem against it! Phone says 'light' rain showers' - equals no rain from my experience!

Primrose: I have confused myself now because the red-veined spinach looks just like beetroot leaves! And I eat both (only taking a few young leaves from the beetroot). They taste spinachy.
Thanks for the tip about better tasting chard. You are right that Bright Lights isn't better than OK for taste. I'll get some Fordhook for late planting and give it a try. It is so useful to have winter greens.

Westi, I feel for you because we are in the same boat. Last night we had thunder and lightning but no rain when both east and west of us there were downpours, even with flash flooding. So I spent all morning watering all the vegetables (flowers and lawns have to fend for themselves ....).

We have been very lucky indeed, had a nice shower of rain just after lunch, has really freshened things up!

I think I might give up on the phone weather & the TV weather & just see if I get wet! One phone weather from the most popular TV channel that predicted rain on Sunday in their 6pm broadcast has not transferred that to the app & the one that came with the phone has decided I live somewhere else! Well I am close ('ish) to there, but not close enough to be in the same weather range.

A huge amount of rain last night and still raining steadily at the moment....sorry to anyone who still is bone dry!