.... seed potatoes and this is what you get! We've got potatoes coming out of our ears!
We emptied five of our potato bags - not a bad return, is it?
That beauty is Burgundy Red. We
only pulled one of them. You can see in the photo below that they have
red flesh as well as red skin! When steamed they kept some of their colour, so we had pink mash last night.
Next was an Orla, a white potato - we emptied two bags. It's interesting to see how different varieties grow in different parts of the bag. And some roll out of the bag while others remain attached to the roots. (well, I think it's interesting!)
And Kestrel, a coloured potato with pink eyes. This is from one bag, but we emptied two.
We've pulled all these potatoes as it's the HAHA/RBL Horticultural & Handicraft Show next Saturday. Trying to find 3 matching potatoes that aren't too scabby is hard work! The bags have helped protect against slug damage - or perhaps it was the nematodes or perhaps there are less slugs about...
The tomatoes are changing colour a bit more quickly now - a couple of days of sunshine and warmth have helped. I've cleared lots of leaves away from all the plants to let more light in. The Tigerella are still all green though...
We have onions drying on a frame in the greenhouse and the mini-munch cucumbers are growing steadily now. I'm not sure whether this Jaune de Verte squash will be included in the show. The photo doesn't show that the squash is about the size of a dinner plate! Not sure how it's going to be eaten yet!
Potatoes are well and truly on the menu now and we're having dwarf french beans with them tonight. Our first taste of purple beans - even steaming didn't protect the colour; they ended up as a darker green than the Speedies (and to be honest, not quite so tasty).
Oh, and here's today's lunchbox with pink potato salad, cucumber, radish, chard and parsley.
Title track by The Dave Brubeck Quartet - I had to re-write part of this post when I finally found a title for it! This is my 60th song title post.
We've pulled all these potatoes as it's the HAHA/RBL Horticultural & Handicraft Show next Saturday. Trying to find 3 matching potatoes that aren't too scabby is hard work! The bags have helped protect against slug damage - or perhaps it was the nematodes or perhaps there are less slugs about...
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| Dessert is just one strawberry and a handful of raspberries - really need to work on that :-) |
That pink potato is novel. I expected it would lose colour like purple beans do. Your Kestrel did netter that ours but it is a great tasting variety. I don't know whether it's the dry conditions but even on open ground we have had hardly any slug damage this year. The test will be when we lift Winston as it seems to be a slug favourite.
ReplyDeleteYes, Kestrel is v. Tasty. The burgundy red is prettier than it is tasty to be honest.
DeleteI think the frosty winter then dry weather did for the slugs
Menuda cosecha! Muy buenas patatas, los tomates me encantan. Guardame semillas.
ReplyDeleteUn beso.
Gracias! Los tomates se llaman 'Aviditas'. Muy deliciosa!
DeleteGreat spud harvest! This year I have grown Charlottes in dustbins with 4 seeds per bin and the reveal was a bit disappointing. Perhaps I didnt talk to them enough..
ReplyDeleteHaha! Oh you HAVE to talk nicely to your veg!
DeleteI grow all my spuds in pots now,with clean compost which I then recycle into the veg beds the following year.Soil on my plot is as wet as other years and I used to lose 50% plus of most varieties to slugs.Loved the Burgundy Red that I grew last year.Quite an earthy taste.Great roasted as they form a crispy skin with a soft centre.Could'nt find any seed for them this year.
ReplyDeleteSo far the best for containers seem to be Kestrel.
We were disappointed with the Kestrels as they have been suprisingly scabby. We found it had keeping the bags wet enough this year, but still got a good crop.
DeleteWe've used the ex-potato bag compost for our carrot trenches.