Useful afternoon outside in the sunshine & I'm starting to feel I'm actually in danger of catching up! All it took was a bit more motivation, kicking the lergy into touch & some slight semblance of a plan!
Borders starting to green up now & the soil is warming. This means it's both planting-time & decidedly grubby cat time, as Albert Whiskers likes nothing better than rolling around on sun-baked soil. If he comes anywhere near me this evening, he's in danger of being set about with a Value Pet-Wipe......not exactly a dignified experience for him!
Well, with the soil warming up nicely, the Chief Potato Grower decided to get the seed potatoes in. They've been chitting for weeks.
We bought an 8kg bag of Sarpo Mira & they've filled a couple of beds in the veggie garden. Sarpo Mira are our preferred spud these days because our area does seem to get badly affected by blight. One summer, when we lost most of our crop for the 2nd or 3rd time, we noticed our village garden centre displaying a poster from a local allotment which showed how great their potatoes were doing in late summer, despite it being a really crappy year for blight. The variety was Sarpo Mira. We bought some to try the next year & they were fab. No blight, good crops & very versatile. They made good chips, mash, the bigger ones baked well & the smaller ones were good boiled or cold in potato salad, etc. So pleased we discovered them, as the CPG was getting distinctly peed off with seeing his hard work disappear in a tragic tangle of smelly black haulms. If you are in a blighty area, give them a go.
Have to admit the CPG has put in more labour than me today, as he's also cut the lawn & flame-gunned the weeds on the front drive (& he hasn't flame-gunned a hole in the front door this time.......), but I haven't been idle. I've potted up my outdoor tomatoes & put them in situe, although they will still go back in the greenhouse at night for another 10 days or so. I've planted my usual row of pot marigolds in front of them as these seem to attract pollinators. Saved seed, so will be a mixture. Such cheery flowers. I can almost smell those warm buttered marigold scones already :-)
More cheeriness.....an orange-tip butterfly in the garden today. Used to be such frequent late spring visitors but hadn't seen one for the last couple of years. Also a holly blue butterfly. We do have some holly, but another of their food plants is apparently ivy, & we do have lots of that. Pretty little things. Maybe it's going to be a fab year for butterflies. Hope so!
Oooh, here comes my coffee.
Cheers all,
C x
Sounds and looks fantastic. Really felt like Spring today. Brought some cut price English watercress and cut price Jersey Royals. Had a right nice salad with them a a few bits and bobs. Can't claim them as home grown, but do like a tasty bargain!
ReplyDeleteNow't wrong with a tasty bargain!
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