Potato planting has been one of the main jobs this week. On our main allotment, for the first time ever we have allocated an entire bed for a single crop and I am concerned that here, and on the bed put aside on Dad's allotment entirely for potatoes, we may run out of space by the weekend. We are growing our biggest crop of potatoes so far and onto the large bed on our main allotment, sharples express, rooster and anya have been planted. I can get another two rows on the bed and I can squeeze another row in by using the path along the top of the bed as a growing space instead. As you can see from the above photo, the hens joined in the dig and had a great feast on worms.
Up at Dad's allotment, we have set aside the big bed for potato growing. I've already used half of it for King Edwards. Part of this bed had been planted out with soft fruit but we moved these to the main allotment a few weeks ago so that Dad's could be focused on vegetable growing. The problem with Dad's allotment is that the big bed, other than the area used for soft fruit, has not been cultivated for at least three years and is now overgrown. A thick layer of weeds blankets the ground and removing it is a slow and laborious job. We can't avoid doing the job however as potatoes are our most important crop. On the part of the bed still to be weeded, I will be planting more King Edwards and a variety called Home Guard.
(King Edwards have been planted on this bed on Dad's allotment. We have added fresh chicken manure to the rows. You can see it in the first one. Fresh rather than rotted down manure is better for potatoes.)
(The bed still needs a great deal of work doing before the rest of the potato crop can be planted. Note the thick layer of weeds on the top end of the bed I have not yet removed.)
1 comment:
actually you don't need to weed the potatoe field (bed). the main thing to do is to turn the soil around (depth ofthe shovel), put manure (and or compost) at the bottom, cover with thin layer of soil and plantpotatoes. cover withsoil or straw. after some tim just add some more soil and or straw- and repeat it after some weeks again. (don't now this exact word in english- earth). potatoes "heal" the ground,so after couple of yearsyou can use this also for other vegetables.
in estonia potatoes are the most important crop at all (we are named as potatoe republic :)).so every time nw land is taken intousage, potatoes are the first ones to grow- land is justturned around with plough and that's all.
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