About this time of year, the gardening catalogues plonk through the letter box, well, into the outside box, as everything that gets posted the normal way gets shredded by JRT and growled at for several minutes!
So in the sunshine of a warm post-lunch tincture, Mrs O'Blene and your friend and mine, me, sat down to choose what we'll grow this year.
It's a bewildering task, as while I'm still a late middle-aged teenager, there will come a time when perhaps 'The Patch' might become a little too arduous, and I will cut back just a little. Mind you, what with a great new mower, and super tiller, and a decent electric bike to get down there, I have no real need to contemplate such things for many years, but these items below have been around some time, and we're going to try them.
As anyone knows, the first new spuds in the shops can cost a fortune, and we try and keep to 'seasonality', by using stuff when it's growing normally. We've grown first early potatoes in buckets on and off for several years, and always kid ourselves that we're saving cash etc etc, but these larger bags could well tip the balance, so the Jersey Royals (International Kidney doesn't sound so glamorous does it), could be within just a few yards of the kitchen, and plentiful at that!
Last year was not a good one for potatoes on 'The Patch'. Spring was a rotten couple of months, then everywhere dried out, and pests descended in their droves. We lost nearly all our first sowings, they just disappeared, and the second earlies got so big they developed an unusual condition, known as 'Hollow Heart' here.
So this year, we'll change things around a bit, using both the Marshalls Gro-sacks at home in the greenhouse, and also sow some more in just a few of the beds on 'The Patch' under cloches, for more first earlies, and leave it at that!
A good chum has also given me some seeds of two unusual bean varieties, 'Greek Gigantes', which are pure white, and also the gorgeously named 'Cherokee Trail of Tears', and we'll be growing these up poles in all directions!
And the title of the post?
We always find ourselves singing it round now, can't think why...
8 comments:
I had grand ideas for my veg patch but are down to spuds,beets and leeks as that is what we seem to use.Blackcurrants etc are doing well and always appreciated,pumpkins for kids too.
Good luck with that.
Everything we tried to grow got eaten or trashed by the neighbours' cats and/or rather large winged voracious feathered friends who inhabit the trees round here - so as usual I suspect we'll make do with whatever the local supermarket cares to offer us. The local farmers' markets are also quite good at coming up with a variety of fresh produce on a weekly basis, so we will be in no danger of famine!
happy New Year Michael,
Good to see that you dropped by to read my meme,
I was really pleasd to hear from you.
We grew 3 sacks of spuds from an on-line place,
it wasn't from Marshalls , we haven't
used them I just recognised the name!
Have you any tips? our 3 sacks of spuds yielded about 1-2
handfuls from each bag, so disappointing !
If you can give me some tips in spud growing it would
be most helpful, we have got a greenhouse, if that may
be useful in futhering our spud supply.
being from Liverpool and probably have a touch of the 'oirish'
in us we are prolific spud eaters!
Best wishes for 2017 to you and Mme. Scrobs,
Di xxx
Home grown tomatoes are my favourite, but we don't have green fingers so the supermarket it is.
Plenty of space needed there, Thud! Leeks are a staple here too!
I'd go to farmer's markets as well if there were enough round here, Reevers. Silly really, living in a lovely part of The Garden of England, and you need to drive for miles to get to one!
I suggest just a few plants up against the wall, Mr H!
Hold them up with some canes and string and away you go!
Also, see my reply to Di, below!
Hi Di,
Great to hear from you again!
I can do better than just give my advice, try this link and see what you think?
I've learned so much from this site, that I check it out daily! If you create a name for yourself, let me know!
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=123333.msg1451314#msg1451314
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