March! Spring is officially here š·
Hello, well Ive been pretty poorly over the last couple of weeks, flare ups are the worst.
This week however my seed potatoes have arrived and are ready for chitting on the windowsill. I have a few extra this year, with a few varieties Iāve never tried before. Chitting is the process of encouraging the seed potatoes to sprout little shoots before planting. It isnāt required however it can help early varieties grow faster and produce an earlier crop. You pop the potatoes into either egg boxes or seed trays with the āeyesā upright in a cool light area that is frost free. This process usually takes about 4-6 weeks. Then they are ready for planting out, either in containers or the ground.
Growing potatoes is really easy, anyone young or old can have a go.
Remember the harvesting times, although you can also tell from the growing stems/flowers. When the flowers die off, stems flop go brown the crop is ready. Timing is easy as very first earlies start at harvesting between 9-11 weeks you literally add 2-3 weeks extra on the varying types.
Very First earlies 9-11 weeks.
First earlies 11-13 weeks
Second earlies 13-16 weeks
Main crop 15-22 weeks.
*Remember with your very first, first and second potatoes you can plant them up in containers!
Whereas main crop you generally need more room so in the ground is better however you still can pop them in a large container if you donāt have the space.
Start planting after the first frosts have passed, different areas of the country (UK) are different. I usually pop around 5 seed potatoes in a container then just cover them over with just enough soil. As they grow the leaves/stems will poke through. Now this is an important step, get some more soil and again use just enough to cover the leaves. Repeat this stage as the leaves/stems continue to grow through the soil. This process is known as āEarthing upā.. it is such an important step as you need to prevent the light getting through to your tubers. If you donāt your potatoes will turn green, inedible and poisonous for human consumption.
Getting out, whether in my own garden or outside in nature will have an impact on my health, So Iām doing myself some good, by gardening or just by being surrounded in nature.
Did you know just 20 minutes in nature can reduce cortisol levels. Cortisol is also known as āthe stress hormoneā because stress causes the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol. Too high or too low can cause many symptoms. Having a chronic illness can have an effect on your cortisol levels.
And this week, came another David Austin rose. My love affair with them came back from 17 years ago when my husband bought me my very first rose called Cariad. Unfortunately we have moved since then and many of my roses had to stay. But to my surprise last week I discovered that DA roses are still selling Cariad, so I knew instantly I had to order one again.
The garden is starting to bring colour once again. With beautiful daffs, hyacinths, snowflakes, crocuses and muscari.
Another little thing I did was to make some rhubarb compote. I found another two bags from last yearās harvest in the freezer. I usually get quite a glut of rhubarb each year, I like to make crumbles for the family, I also give plenty away too.
Iām really hoping that I can get enough energy to get out into the potting shed in the week, I feel like Iām so behind in sowing the seeds. But there is no such thing as getting behind, do things at your own pace, I find everything usually catches up by the summer anyway. On my list is sowing the tomatoes, peppers and a few of the flowers. One thing I can say is that this month I actually managed to prune all the roses, and the apple tree. My apple tree is called scrumptious, a variety from Frankās Matthewās trees. Iāve had it for about 4 years now , it gets better every year with producing more apples š. Itās a self pollinator and can be grown in a pot, perfect for a small garden like mine.
Well, not to wear myself out to much by writing this I will bid you a bye
And of course Keep Smiling š