Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes.....

   With the milder weather, clear sky and dry conditions which meant frost in the morning the priority this last week was to get the main crop (Desiree) potatoes in. I managed to finish off planting up my large triangle plot where I have spaced out the planting with it in mind that more space means bigger spuds! Fingers crossed!

Spaced out Desiree potatoes

  My main potato plot needed to be weeded in preparation for planting and it is the biggest plot in the garden! I attacked the issue with weeding one half and planting that up and then the other half later and then planting that up. 

  At the start of the week I had to get chicken food and as it happened there was a tray of Iceberg lettuce plants for sale. As I have been unable to get any at my local market and my sowing of lettuce in the poly tunnel produced only one plant I bought these and planted them up in the poly tunnel.

First half of the large Desiree plot planted up

  Elsewhere in the garden transplanted parsnips and beetroot are established, peas are up but no sign of parsnips sown from seed! I have allowed some Red Top swede to go to seed so hopefully I will be able to gather some seed later. The early purple sprouting is now coming to an end. It has been a really good crop. Onions, shallots and garlic are all well established and growing away! No sign of the asparagus yet. 

  Cherry and apple blossom is starting to show a real sign spring is well under way.

   On the chicken front usual maintenance done and I am sorry to have to report that Mrs Ixworth has died. She was about four years old and was a hen that had been hatched and raised at Watermeadows. She was the last pure Ixworth in the flock. Egg production is up with an average of 6.57 eggs per day this last week. I have more eggs than I know what to do with!