Last of the Spuds

Dug the last ones out from under their blanket of wood chippings. Only One had been frost damaged so I'll do that again next year.



No idea what the variety is, they were from a locally grown sack & were sprouting so I lobbed them in.

Some were as big as a fist.

 

Looks good Ziggy.
I like the beetroot.

Were they under the same mound of wood chips?

 

Hi Pete,
No, just the spuds, the beetroot & carrots took their chances under the blanket of snow & were fine.

3 lettuce plants also survived the snow From the bbc dig free seeds thinger. They were lollo rosso type but with straighter leaves.

Most perpetual spinage turned to mush but the brassicas are fine, as is the sorrel.

How did your tropical stuff do ?

 

Thats a good haul ziggy... well pleased.

 

Hi Robert,

Yep, well pleased & well fed. Another week before its back to dried mashed potato.

Planted up some water cress today, got it sussed now after trial & error last year. Pot it up & stand the pot in a few inches of water, it likes that.

Always wash water cress very well or cook it. I fry it up with butter, salt & pepper, lovely.

Water Cress plays host to snails that can carry the liver fluke parasite.

Also potted up the lettuce, rhubarb & strawberries that Chopper kindly gave me Got those in cold frames.

 

Think I might try a later sowing of beetroot next year.

Mine are usually pretty old and hard by late September.

As to the exotics, most are either wrapped up or potted and in the garage/greenhouse/conservatory.

Its just a case of survival these days and hope they pick up when the weather warms.

 

I was quite late getting the beetroot in, mostly they were trays that didn't sell at carboots so I probably didn't get them planted out till july/august but i've had some tennis ball size which i've pickled & the ones we are eating now are not woody.

So I guess this year, i'll do an early sowing for pickling & a later one for winter eating. I've not grown them since I was a kid & I don't remember eating them then. All the kids love em so its a goer, get fed up of growing veg that not everyone will eat.

Less corgettes this year, 2 plants will do. More French beans, coloured pods so I can spot them before they set seed. Had sucess in salting them down last year, but soaking the salt out left them too watery so going for more blanching & freezing this year.

Froze a lot of spinage last year. whilst the freezer is still full of it, can't help thinking that I would have been better off with something else in there & putting protection around the growing spinage plants. If i'd cloched them before the snow I think I would still be picking.

 

I still have a sack of Rooster potatoes, saving them for seed,

 

Which came first, the Rooster or the potatoes ?

Are they sprouting yet Rob ? Need to keep them somewhere cool but frost free. Don't want em sprouting too soon.