Sunday 6 November 2011

Allotments spuds!!!!!

So it took all week but I finally managed to get down to the allotment. As it was Guy Fawkes weekend I am sure you can imagine how dreary and miserable the weather was....foggy with misty rain in the air which meant I got very wet....but I had a plan to get the potatoes harvested this weekend and nothing was going to stop me.

weedy allotmentallotment cleared of weeds

First we had to clear all of the weeds ...I know the potatoes are in their somewhere!! Once that was done the digging could commence!

You have probably realized that I am not the one digging in the photo above...That's right...I enlisted a little bit of help! Due to the recent rain the ground on top was very muddy but you didn't have to go too deep before you met rock hard concrete which made digging very hard work!

allotment dug and potatoes removed

Once the potatoes were out and the ground dug then the allotment looked ready fro the winter.

King Edward potatoesDesiree Potatoes

Above left, King Edwards. Above right, Desiree.

There were more potatoes harvested than what you see above but nowhere near the amount we got last year. Maybe the weather had something to do with it. I have never watered my potatoes and didn't this year but we have had an incredibly dry spring, summer and even autumn and so maybe this is a factor for the amount of produce. On the other hand maybe we missed loads??? Or maybe they just didn't want to grow so much this year. Whatever the reason I'm not too worried. It is quite a good crop if not my best ever and very few of them contained bugs and so not many had to be thrown away.

Currently the potatoes are in the wheelbarrow in the greenhouse so that they can dry off before being put into sack in storage until they are going to be used!!

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8 comments:

  1. it may not be as much as last year but still looks like a good haul. I was in the store today and couldn't believe the price on potatoes

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  2. It's strange we had just about the same sort of harvest but hardly any potato tops and we didn't water either even though the ground was bone dry. The tubers were all a decent size too. But we don't tend to grow main crop varieties.

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  3. I've never grown either of these varieties. My maincrop were rubbish this year, I'm giving them a miss next year, I'm just going to grow earlies in containers and use the space at the allotment for other things.

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  4. You got a lot of potatoes. I wonder if I'll be able to do as well now that I have a place to plant. I was able to pick the last things from my dad's garden. It was squash this time.

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  5. Good reminder. I should get the last of mine out before the ground freezes solid.

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  6. Hello, your site is great - I am lovin all the info. I am new to allotment ownership and I am starting to learn from some of the old hands on the plots.

    I have put your link to your site in my blog list - please will you do the same for me. I would like some people to actually read what I am putting and maybe post a comment or two.

    My url is http://townfarmallotment.com/
    and the title I have on the site is TOWN FARM ALLOTMENT - PLOT 68


    Please will you consider this.


    Dave

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  7. Ann...I think it is terrible the amount that is charged for fruit and veg these days...and then they wonder why people aren't healthy eaters!!

    Sue, my first and second earlies were fine crops...it's only the main crop potatoes which weren't so prolific this year...but the way I look at it, every little helps!

    Jo, I can see why you would decide to do that...byt I will persvere with my main crop potatoes!!

    Ratty...tha skies the limit when you have some ground inwhich you can grow. I hopw you enjoyed your squash!

    Tpals...it's alwasy good noit to have to try and dig frozen earth....but there are times when times run away with us and we find ourselves doing it anyway!!

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  8. Hi Dave...thanks for visiting. Glad you're enjoying my site and I will definitely be checking yours out to.

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keep it clean...keep it relevant...I look forward to reading your comments!!