Seed potatoes


This morning dawned sunny and bright and more importantly DRY!I got my seed potatoes, they had just been delivered to the garden centre so are freshly packed.These are British Queens, a second early. We decided last year not to grow main crop this year, firstly because they have a chance of getting blight and secondly we don't have enough space to be taken up with them,at least when the second earlys are taken up there is still time for another crop to go in.
I need to track down an organic early too, I was looking for 'Coleen' but it is hard to get at the moment.
I have been saving egg boxes all winter for chitting the pops. Here they are sitting all nice and cosy in their nests! Chitting means encouraging them to sprout, they are put in with the most 'eyes'facing up, in a few weeks they should be sending up green shoots. Some say to rub off all but 2 or 3 of the biggest shoots before planting.
This is the recycling end of the shed, to the left of the photo are my recycled seed trays and on the right the start of the plastic bottle cache. The bottles have to be saved with their caps intact as they will be filled with water to 'drip feed' plants for the long hot summer we hope to have.On the subject of watering today it dawned on me that since I got a water butt 2 years ago we have had 2 of the wettest summers and it was not needed, oh well maybe this is the year.
My jam jar collection is on the shelf.

My previous post on tomato seeds was on the ones I got in B&Q and set in B&Q own brand compost.they were 4.30e for 5 varieties.
These ones are the two I got from the Organic Seed Company.They are Incas F1 which contained 5 seeds for 2.70e.They are described as a modern hybrid with very high yields of thick walled fruits. Matures early and can be grown inside or out.
The second one is Berner Rose 25 seeds for 2.30e. A new salad tomato with pink skin.Sturdy plants which are very easy to grow again inside or out.
I got westland compost with added John Innes and also used vermiculite in the trays. So it remains to be seen which variety, the cheap and cheerful or cosseted organic works out the best.
Weather update, the day that started off with so much promise, by mid afternoon was wet and windy and supposed to get worse during the night!

Comments

Unknown said…
You have a lot going on at your place too!
January 24, 2009 at 11:20 PM
A Colorful World said…
You are off and running, Peggy! This is wonderful!
January 26, 2009 at 8:14 PM
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