Expanding the potato patch

What have we been up to over the past month? ... rain. Rain and more rain. Every weekend has been incredibly wet. We've played soccer in the rain, like wet rats on the field and the sideline. We've canceled soccer. We've gone to the indoor swimming pool. We've played cards, mostly hearts, with a little 500 mixed in. But today the SUN came out and we got out in the garden.

We have previously posted about our potato patch, which was first planted this past September, with Snippy Ritchie the resident potato sage declaring "potatoes by Christmas!" Well we got them, and they were marvelous. I have been asked (by my mother) why go to such effort - preparing the bed, composting, planting - in order to grow potatotes?

But the fact is, it's exceptionally nice to not worry about whether or not there are potatoes in the pantry, to wander out to the yard and dig up a few and roast them up in the oven. Easy, tasty and no tending for the few months they are incubating. Plus, if you're not ready for them, you just leave 'em in the ground until you are.

So here is an aerial shot of the original fifty square feet or so we carved out at the top of the hill that slopes down below our car park. In fact the plant in the middle is a re-growth of some baby spuds that must have been left in after harvesting. It's winter, and slow growing, so we'll just have to see what happens.

The day's project, two days really, has been to clear the adjoining raised bed which was producing all manner of growth going about eight feet up to the parking area. First clearing, then a bit of prep for next planting season. The contents of one disc from the worm farm went in, along with many families of worms and some kitchen compost, grass clippings from the lawn, and sheep pellets scattered about like (the icing on the cake?).

Hard to see at this angle, but the new bed is considerably higher than the first, which is at ground level. So the end of the top bed required some shoring up (new post and retaining plank), and you really have to climb up in it to work over the whole area. Note to self: plan the rows of plants with a path down the middle for easy access.

Close to ready. Because we happen to have a bale of hay for the guinea pig, I'll spread a layer of hay over the whole area. Most of this plan by the way came from a local "no-dig" garden workshop. All the ingredients go onto the soil, cover it up, and wait for a few months. We'll be waiting about 3 months, till mid September.

Here's what it looks like at ground level. Yes I'll do a better job of spreading. On the ground below the bed is a section of scrap carpeting. That'll go over the bed for the next 3 months, to keep everyone underneath warm, dark and happy.

That's all folks. Come round in six months for fresh potatoes.