a partner church in the WOLDSBURN benefice
CHURCH AT KIRKBURN
A plantsman’s peregrinations
or an everyday story of a country bloke
June 2007
So here we are in June 2007. My wife often says that my favourite saying about the garden is “I’ll have it different next year”. Well, just now that is exactly right. In February we had a fair bit of rain but in March and especially April it has been more like a drought. At the time of writing (May 8) we have just had a sprinkling but not enough to make a difference. We have been promised a better supply during the next few days - I will believe it when I see it. . I have sprinkled a little bit over the past few weeks - my Charlotte potatoes (2nd early and salad) are well through (planted about March 26 and doing well) and I also planted a row of first earlies (variety Swift) in mid April ands they have caught up with the Charlotte. A friendf of mine from Hutton told me a couple of weeks ago that he had had his first boiling of a variety called “Rocket” - he said they lived up to their name. The potatoes obviously were very small but without doubt sweet and acceptable. I don’t have sufficient space to dig without results but according to Marshall’s blurb about “Swift” they have seen a good crop of waxy white potatoes in as little as 7 weeks from planting. I can hardly believe that - perhaps they planted them in Jamaica - but nevertheless my row is doing well. I also bought from Marshall’s 3 polythene buckets of a type that you can get from the council but smaller which I planted with “swift” potatoes. They really are well ahead - you plant the seed potatoes (I plant 3 to a bag of this type and I plant one to a normal bucket of which I have 3 doing well) and you gradually add compost to the begs as the plants grow. They are from all appearances doing well. I will report on the results in the next magazine. I did try this method in an old bottom-less dustbin some years ago with maincrop variety “Cara” and I got really good returns. The only problem was that the potatoes had whitish irregularities on the skins when harvested - it didn’t affect the taste or cooking qualities. You plant the seeds at the bottom of the dustbin -[ I used peat based compost and it has to have holes in the bottom) and add compost as the plants grow so that eventually the dustbin is full of compost and the plants’ tops hang over the edge. I think the irregularities in the skins are because of the acidic nature of today’s commercial composts. Perhaps I should have added lime when filling up the bins, but as you will know without me telling you lime and potatoes is not a usual combination. If you are short of space, however, it is well worth trying.
My broad beans “Aquadulce Claudia” are looking great (sown October last year). They are in full flower and I hope to have them out by end May/mid June and re-sow with Swiss Chard. I have never grown this before because Spinach type vegetables were not acceptable in this household. However with the advent of Lidl in Driffield and their supplies of baby spinach leaves things seem to have changed. Apparently Chard will last one season and come again the next year, so the possibilities seem good. I will keep you advised.
Last autumn’s onion sets are doing well. They should be out about mid-June and I hope to be able the fill the space with autumn/winter pre-sown cabbages. I have planted alongside them about 100 sets of Marshall’s Fen Glove sets which are also thriving. I have also planted in close proximity half a dozen brussels sprouts “UNITY”,. an old and large buttoned variety. As an insurance I have planted 3 plants “Montgomery” which are F1. Will let you know how I get on in future editions. There are only two of us
My broad beans “Aquadulce Claudia” are looking great (sown October last year). They are in full flower and I hope to have them out by end May/mid June and re-
PLEASE FOLLOW ALSO SUBSIDIARY LINKS AT TOP OF EACH PAGE
www.churchatkirkburn,org,uk page 184 1 OF 2 (185)Plantsmans Peregrinations June 2000 12 November