The very first spuds!!

When I suddenly realised this week that our early potatoes may be ready to harvest after just 7 weeks, I could hardly wait to have a wee poke about in the soil to catch a glimpse of those golden orbs. I had been worrying about this variety called 'Swift' (described in the catalogues as the earliest potato yet) as I missed the flowers and recently the foliage has looked less than healthy. And what with the ants I disturbed when weeding I had pretty much resigned myself to a failure. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The first couple of tubers were like little and large - one the size of a grape, the other a large egg. Not put off I groped around in the soil a bit more and sure enough more tubers tumbled forth.
Now, the yield isn't great, most likely due to slack watering (poor things had to make do with mother natures will which - to be honest - has been less than giving since early April), but on returning home the first spuds weighed in at just under 1kg. Not bad for two haulms - I expected less. Other indications of thirsty spuds are split tubers (had a couple of those) and common scab - a bacterial disease common on light sandy soils and encouraged by hot dry weather ( had a lot of that!). There was also a bit of wire worm damage (those orangey yellow critters that hatch into click beetles) but really, none of these conditions will render them inedible. In fact, I scoffed some tonight, lightly dressed in a vinegarette made with a glug of oil, a splash of lemon juice and a dollop of whole grain mustard. Deliciously decadent - so tender and creamy! Highly recommended! Potatoes may be dull and back breaking to plant, but oh so rewarding to harvest and consume!

Other pics I took today include the pumpkins and nasturtiums Jess planted and I have to tell ya that mulching is the way to go people! So - there may be a problem with the perennial weeds continuing to poke their way through but I've not really had to water as the mulch has stored the moisture for me under it's dense blanket. Excellent news!

The early onions are almost ready to harvest - I think. Not huge but reasonably successful.

Beautiful borage - soon the plot will be full of the shameless self seeder!

And the geraniums. I recently added a few new ones to the collection - an indulgence of mine. A gorgeous magenta flowered psilostemen called 'Dragon heart' ; a maculatum called 'Expresso' and my personal favourite 'Else Lacy' a pretense type, first spotted in a fabby little nursery near Saffron Waldon maybe five years ago. At the time, their only stock plant would have set me back around £300!! I'm glad I waited.

A perfect autumn day..........

Sunday was to be a day down on the plot but inevitably was a complete wash out. Uggg! How easy it would have been to mope about mourning the loss of British summertime but instead I got busy making more chutney with the last of the tomatoes and thought I’d have a go at baking brownies too, though not in the same pan! It was a very productive day and filled the house with lots of lovely smells- it even got the dearly beloved out of bed….though to be fair, that was probably due to me banging and crashing around in the kitchen rather than the temptation of delicious and seductive aromas!

I digress – back the to the perfect Autumn day…..which was cold, clear and bright with the sheerest of breezes - a real pleasure to be out and making the most of the sunshine. Today’s task was to rescue the dozen hyssop plants from certain death which have been festering away in pots for…….well a lot longer than they should have (bad grower!) I only hope they perk up a bit now the roots have room to breathe. I’ve treated them to a thick layer of mulch, and to keep those weeds at bay for a little longer I picked up a nifty trick from GW*.

What to do with all the free newspapers that drop through he door? Well - there is always the blue recycling bin that the council collect once a fortnight but if you can make use of them in the garden then even better. So under the thick layer of SMC** there is a layer of 4 or 5 sheets of newspaper neatly tucked round the struggling hyssop plants.

Mulching achieves many great things – it suppresses weeds, retains moisture, insulates the ground keeping the heat in, looks decorative and most importantly can save work on maintenance. An organic mulch can also help to enrich the soil as it breaks down, and if applied on an annual basis will improve soil structure no end. Lush! It may seem a little time consuming but if it saves labour during the busy growing season then I say it’s worthwhile!

Next to be mulched are the strawbs which I lovingly weeded on my hands and knees today. Maybe I can enlist the help of my hubster………….?

*Gardener’s World **spent mushroom compost

Now it's wet!

A complete change from yesterday and has forced us to review our plans for today. Tisk! I was hoping to prepare some ground for a low hedge of hyssop. We have a dozen to plant along the front of the plot and after the under gardener strained his back extending the strawberry patch last Sunday I was hoping to plant those last four plants too. Ah well - when working in the great outdoors it's less frustrating if you can be adaptable. There are other things to get ahead with when the weather becomes challenging, such as documenting last weeks efforts!
With the increasing pressure to keep control of our grassy plot (whilst gently bringing it into cultivation) we decided to invest in a rotary petrol mower. The under gardener was very excited about the prospect of creating a lawn fit for bowling - I fear he may be disappointed!
What is important is maintaining the grass to prevent it becoming wild and ultimately harder work for ourselves. This was so with a strimmer - good for trimming round the edges but far more tedious than strolling up and down with a lawnmower! So while he did that I began our no-dig mulching experiment.
I started by strimming the grass as short as possible, then took a large cardboard box, flattened out (tape and staples removed) and covered it. Next a layer of grass cuttings, followed by a layer of mushroom compost both several inches deep. Finally a bit of treading to consolidate the surface and hey presto looks like a well dug and prepared bit of land. Whether it works, we have yet to see. Hope its not all taken off in the wind!

Andrew, after injury, retired to the car to listen to the radio while I dug out the new site for the shed. Why he asked? It's a design thing I said. He groaned. I shrugged and got on with it.
Illogical or not I decided I didn't want it crammed in the corner like everyone else and besides it's not time wasted as the old site will be the comfrey patch instead.... as long as I hurry up and weed it.Coming soon in the next few weeks - shed building, hyssop, strawberry, comfrey and redcurrant planting, echinacea, foxglove and forget-me-not potting and most inevitably - weeding. Also looking forward to apple tasting days at Ken Muir to decide what we want to grow!