My seed potatoes are chitting. I have ordered a load of stable manure from my friendly farmer. I will give the area for potatoes a dressing of rock dust, a sprinkling of blood fish and bone , and a 6 inch topping of manure, then plant through it. Tomorrow I will plant broad beans in pots in the greenhouse, ready to go out when they are 6 inch high. Peas will go four to a square pot, and then again go out. Having lost a load of sunflower seeds to mice, traps have been set. Three caught in three nights.
The advice plant what you like to eat is so true.i grew rocket and kale one year.had tonnes!hated it.never ate it before so why plant it?!got carried away.new potatoes are great and taste so different.carrots too.sweetcorn,salad.
My potatoes in the garage have sprouted so planting early. Good job I had already done the raised bed they are to go in ( manure and compost) and had covered it so the soil is warmer than its surroundings. These will be the late variety Markies. The early pentland javelin are going in potatoes grow bags in the greenhouse until its warmer.
For the spuds, dig a trench alongside your path about 20cm deep and pile the soil behind it. Spread some well-rotted manure along the bottom of the trench and fork it in to the bottom (no need to go mad, I just use a border fork and twist the manure to mix with the soil. Plant your seed potatoes about a foot apart and rake some of the mound of soil behind to cover them with about 5-10cm of soil. When the shoots appear, rake a bit more of the mound over to cover them. Keep pulling soil over them when the shoots break through until there is a shallow trench behind where the mound previously was. That's an age-old method called 'earthing-up'. By doing that, you are also automatically keeping the row clear of weeds.
Carrots prefer sandy soil, and don't need much in the way of feeding, so maybe just top-up you raised beds with a bit of MPC and sow direct.
IMO, it's a myth that onions don't need feeding. They will do ok in unenriched soil though, but I would add well-rotted manure to the raised bed area you will be growing those in as it will feed and also help to retain moisture, which will help stop them from bolting, something onions tend to do if they get dry.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Yes. Potatoes will probably smother them. Lavender and rosemary need to be grown hard. Sappy soft growth caused by manure will probably lead to their demise next winter.
Posts
Delivery was warned to take longer than usual because of high demand...
Im planning to put the potatoes along a path in a bed in between the grapevines and (currently) lavender and rosemary.
The carrot and onion in my raised wall bed near the house which drains well, mixed with flowers and cypress goldcrest
I guess I need more hanging baskets for the tumbling Toms.
I understand carrots and onions should be planted in unenriched soil?
Anyone else planting yet?
Im spacing my potatoes between lavender and rosemary, which I recall don’t want loads of nutrients. Problem?