Chris and Steve's Weblog - City Chickens » potatoes

Growing Update

Chris — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:56:43 +0000

The Lupin seeds have germinated and are already forming true leaves. I have sown seeds of dwarf Nasturtium both a mixed packet and some with varigated leaves and deep red flowers. I have had a go with some dwarf Scabiosa seeds in modules. These are not easy to germinate in my experience so fingers crossed. The other flower seeds I have sowed are Honesty. A few collected seeds from my sister. I bought some bulbs from the pound shop. They are a white Anenome and out of twenty bulbs I have five decent plants which is not bad for a pound after all.

Today I have potted on most of my tomato seedlings. I have sown Black Cherry, Moneymaker and Yellow Plum.

I have sown some Beetroot Boltardy in modules today and covered them with clingfilm. We did no good at all with beetroot last year so I am trying a different method as well as sowing direct.

I have also sown runner beans Blue Lake, Black Bean Delinel and Kelvedon Stringless in pots to get started. The White Lady will be sown direct. Down at the allotment all the potatoes are now in; Sharps Express, Vivaldi and Rocket. We have put most in bags and some in the ground. The peas and the broad beans are now in their permanent beds at the allotment and one on the new rhubarb crowns has been planted alongside our old one while the other one has been planted at home in the garden.

Seed Potatoes

Chris — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:12:26 +0000

The seed potatoes are now in egg boxes on the window ledge. I bought two packets of Rocket, eight in each, from the pound shop, three packs of Sharps Express, ten in each, from Focus and I have about twelve Vivaldi saved from some from Sainsburys. To save on costs I am hoping to use the composted soil on the plots instead of using bought compost this year. Total spend £6.60.

The potatoes are all earlies and will be grown in bags rather than in the ground.

Ready for Season 2011

Chris — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 14:38:06 +0000

We have started to think about the new season. I know it is too early yet to sow seeds and I am determined to be patient.

First thing on the agenda is to get the seed potatoes and start them chitting in egg boxes on the window ledge. I am sticking to earlies only again this year and planting them all in bags. My favourites from last season were Vivaldi, grown from potatoes bought from Sainsburys and Sharps Express, bought as seed potatoes from Focus. I am just growing those again this season.

The second task is to get the parsnip seeds in in February if we have a fine dry day.

I intend to have another go at onions from seed as I have good seed left. Last years were not too good and got neck rot and went soggy before we could harvest them. I am not sure what I did wrong but will have another go. I have Onion Ishikura, Ailsa Craig and a Sweet Spanish Onion. My instructions say sow very thinly in February under cloches or March to April out in the open. Ishikuri are salad onions and are meant to be harvested as spring onions, when they are about six inches high and pencil thick. Ailsa Craig and the Spanish Onion are mild cooking onions which stay in the ground longer and are harvested when they have formed a large bulb. I have just read that the Ailsa Craig are known as Winter Onions and so should have been sown in the winter ready to grow on and harvest the following Autumn.

Because of Christmas, very bad weather and flu I haven’t been to the allotments for a few weeks so I am looking forward to my first visit of the year. I am sure there will be lots of tidying up to do but hopefully a few nice surprises too.

Happy Birthday Sean. 40 today!!!!!!!!!

Strawberries, Salad and New Potatoes

Chris — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:36:48 +0000

Once again I have brought home a large bowl of strawberries and a couple of massive butterhead lettuces. I also managed to get enough potatoes Sharps Express for a meal tonight. The potatoes have been slow to grow as we had a cold start to the season followed by a very long dry period. The tops are looking green, lush and healthy but few potatoes up to now which is bad news in one way but good news for my belly because I can’t resist freshly dug potatoes.

Allotment Pictures

Chris — Wed, 26 May 2010 07:10:27 +0000

Cabbage Greyhound; Onion Marathon; Cauliflower AYR

Chris — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:03:40 +0000

We spent a lovely few hours at the plot this morning and caught up on loads of jobs. We put in the last of the potatoes which were the second batch of Charlotte and British Queen.

We planted up the three courgette plants All Green Bush and put a polythene cover over until the plants are a bit hardier.

Into the brassica tunnel we put twenty five cabbage Greyhound plants, thirteen cauliflower All The Year Round and ten onion Marathon.

Onion – The regular consumption of onions has been shown to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure helping to prevent atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, and therefore reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Here’s a greyhound cabbage from last year

I had left a tray of runner bean plants White Lady in the fruit tunnel to harden off and I noticed that most of them had been eaten by something so I am putting another batch in today to try and catch up.

Potato Maris Piper

Chris — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:03:07 +0000

After torrential rain all day the sky cleared just long enough for us to pop to the plot and put in the main crop potatoes. We chose Maris Piper this year and the seed potatoes had been sitting on the window ledge on egg boxes to chit. They all had healthy green shoots and we had a bit of a disagreement about how to plant them. Rob is all for burying the whole thing and making a raised pyramid of soil over them whereas I say that the green shoots should be above the soil and earthed up as they grow. We decided to do a row each and see who wins. My thinking is that the seed potato has spent weeks of energy growing the shoots and that burying them would kill off the shoots and if the seed doesn’t have enough energy to do it all again it will die. The idea of burying is ok if the potato seed hasn’t been chitted. Time will reveal all.

The Maris Piper potato plant is tall, erect and with many stems. It has small light green glossy closed leaves and purple flowers. The potato is a good all rounder and can be used for all cooking methods.

Potatoes Vivaldi, Kestrel and Rocket

Chris — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:14:38 +0000

Rob put some more potatoes in today. Two rows of Kestrel, a second early, in the ground and two bags each of Vivaldi, a main crop and Rocket, a first early.

We built and planted up a new strawberry bed this morning. The plants were all from runners from our original plants so no cost involved. We shall have to think up a way to keep the pidgeons off but as we have twice as many plants again in the fruit tunnel I don’t think we shall be short of Strawberries come June.

In the lean to we have a row of raddish already pushing through the soil.

I put in some more peas in the brassica tunnel. They were the Hurst Green Shaft. I had already swished them in water for a few days and some of them were shooting. They should be ready to harvest in 12 weeks.

First Early Potato – Sharpes Express

Chris — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 08:12:35 +0000

We planted up two large bags of Sharpes Express potato today.

First Early Potato - A white skinned potato with pale lemon flesh. A good all-rounder with good flavour and texture that can be used for mash, chips or boiled for salads.

The Asparagus bed is now ready so all we need are the roots to arrive in the post.We haven’t even had a response to our order so far. Fingers crossed.

Seed Potatoes

Chris — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:00:52 +0000

I chose Focus to buy the seed potatoes this year and have limited my spending to £10. They look in good condition and I am pleased with the varieties I chose. I plan to chit them on the window ledge and plant from March to April in bags except for the main crop which will go in the ground. We should have a seccession of potatoes to last until late August. I am giving Rob the important task of labelling and planning the harvest.

Charlotte are salad potatoes which we have grown many times before and have always had a good harvest. They are good for salads, boiling and roasting and will store well. They are great dug up early as small potatoes but can be left in the ground to grow on a little too. I bought two bags of these. They should be ready to harvest in fourteen weeks from planting.

Sharps Express are a first early and are best boiled or steamed. They should be ready to harvest in ten weeks.

Rocket is another old favourite also for steaming and boiling. Approximately eleven weeks to harvest.

British Queen is a second early and are best roasted, mashed or used for chips. They should be ready in thirteen weeks.

Maris Piper is a versatile main crop also good for chips, mashing and roasting. They should be ready to dig in twenty weeks.