Tuesday 10 March 2015

A good day for planting potatoes

Yep, John and Cro, it's been great here too. Had my trays of new potato seeds chitting (waiting for the green shoots to spurt) on a back windowsill since the beginning of February. According to legend, setting them out in trays like that for about 3 or 4 weeks will (hopefully) bring a crop of freshly dug new potatoes on about a month earlier. We'll see.

Chitted Rocket Potatoes

Forked over a patch of ground where last years leeks had grown. Made a line of green string between two forks and dug a trench a spade  deep all along. A handful of GroMore fert along the row. Hoed it in and then scattered a tub of chicken manure pellets over the soil, hoeing that in as well.


Spaced each potato about a foot apart from each other and planted them, green eye up.


Marked the rows with bamboo canes, raked over and job done. Peter Rabbit polished off nearly all my cauliflowers early on. I covered up the cabbages with  garden fleece. He didn't like that and left them alone, so hopefully, still might get a few spring greens yet.


Blue sky and sunshine all day. The cherry blossom's really come out today. it's lovely.


My hellebore's out.

And the miniature daffies are out in the front border.



A few weeks ago I bought quite a few packets of end of season bargain bulbs from Coedy. They were only 20p each, far too cheap to leave there. Anyway, they seem to be growing OK. I covered them with wire baskets to stop the pesky cats digging them up which they did without fail practically every morning. They've not yet figured how to get around that one. Molly 1 - Cats 0.

'Would we ever?'
Have a good week.

29 comments:

  1. Such innocent looking little creatures.....I can't imagine them digging anything up in the garden lol.

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    1. Butter wouldn't melt ...... the naughty one on the floor is the culprit.

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  2. You have been busy lady, Molly, and it looks like you have accomplished quite a bit already. We still have some snow on the ground, but after seeing your hellebores, I will make the trip around my soggy yard to see if mine are out also. They should be. I love the excitement of spring, but I do hate the clean-up from winter that will have to be done first. I wish I could be as organized as you.

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    1. We had one glorious day of sunshine - the rest has all gone down hill.It does give you a bit of a boost when the buds start to come out. I'm big on planning and very bad on 'doing' so I would say that your organisational skills leave me standing

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  3. A beautiful blue sky. No winter in it. There still is snow on my garden.

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    1. Grey sky today and cold wind but we haven't had hardly any snow here. Hope your winter doesn't last too long.

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  4. Peter Rabbit is very smart! Your flowers and potatoes are amazing and the cats are so gorgeous!

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    1. My cabbage plants are just about intact so I'm hoping he's found pastures new. The tabby cat on the floor is the last word in naughty. if I'm hanging the washing out, she jumps into the laundry basket. She's a little minx.

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  5. Wonderful isn't it.... we can all breathe again. I even went down to Haddock's yesterday and 'considered' sowing my Onion sets. Maybe this weekend.

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    Replies
    1. The weather's gone colder again. It's quite early yet.

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  6. Hello Molly - cats and rabbits not a good mix for a garden - but you seem to have won the battle - love the cherry ours isn't out yet - xx

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    1. fingers crossed. Hope you're both keeping well xxx

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  7. Free cauliflower for rabbits--you'd could offer some ranch dressing on the side. I am envious of your blossoming cherry tree. Not fair!

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    1. Hi Amy. How are things with you? The cherry only flowers for a little while and then it's all gone - but nice while it does.

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  8. Love the photo of the cats. My, you have been busy. Hope you get a good crop of taties.

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    1. I think it might have been a one day wonder. It's gone colder and my enthusiasm's died. Still - one job done.

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  9. Q: At the 'Digging up of Molly's Bulb' trial the other week, why did the Judge dismiss the entire jury made up of cats?
    A: Because each of them was guilty of purrjury.!
    .
    And here in Bucks Molly, it is not the cats that dig up my bulbs, especially tulips, but the dreaded grey squirrels!
    My cats would never go anywhere near any bulbs that I had planted. They hated the smell of onion sets and garlic and I assume they also took a dislike to tulips and hyacinths?
    They also, like me, cannot abide the awful EU eco bulbs that I have reluctantly put in the outside patio lights! Too dim to see anything to chase.
    It's really good to see so much enthusiasm and activity in your poly-tunnel. I feel so lazy now.
    Do you know, I once had a girlfriend called Polly Tennel. Quite a 'hot' piece if I remember.
    Well, must go, it's cat feeding time.
    .
    And by the way: How do cats get their own way?
    A: With purrsuasion.

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    1. Hello Bernard - sorry to gatecrash your blog Molly - my apologies - but just would like to say good-day to Bernard - lovely to hear that you are ok - take care - Jane

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    2. Hello Jane. Yes, I'm still around and all is OK.
      I left you a comment here on Molly's blog - I think it was in December?
      http://someothermountain.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/sunrise.html#comment-form
      I just ran out of ideas for blogs - so, as my blogfriend CherryPie - http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/
      say - Uncle Bernard is 'just resting'.
      Trust you are well too?
      Bernard

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  10. Hey Bernard, great to hear from you. Been wondering how you are. I was wondering whether they might have been under squirrel attack as well as.
    Love your jokes - you don't alter Uncle B xx

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  11. You've certainly got your potatoes in early, Molly well before Good Friday which was always my grandfather's potato planting day. :) I need to get some bulbs planted here in the new garden, but it didn't even occur to me to buy them at this time of year. How handy to be so close to Coedy

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    1. They're in the surviving poly tunnel so fingers crossed. The bulbs I bought were pre-treated hyacinths supposed to bloom for Christmas but didn't get sold. They're just starting to come into bud now so for 20p a packet, I'm well pleased.

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  12. Wow! You are busy. The cats are so pretty, I'm sure you forgive them anything (almost).

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  13. Wow! You are busy. The cats are so pretty, I'm sure you forgive them anything (almost).

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    1. I wish I could buy Enthusiasm in handy packs. The weather has gone down hill and is cold and grey. I can see lots of jobs that need doing, but can't galvanize myself to go out in the cold and do them. Would love another sunny day.

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  14. It’s cold again and my outdoor hours are strictly limited. I am hoping for a few hours on Tuesday.

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  15. I think mine might have been a one day wonder.

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  16. Looks like you're off to a good start. I grew potatoes once, quite by accident. The peelings in the compost heap sprouted and over the next few months we dug through to turn the compost and noticed tiny potatoes growing, eventually we'd had three buckets worth of yummy spuds.

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