Day Three

BROAD BEANS & GARLIC

I didn't manage to go up the allotment on Saturday but apparently it was light until 5pm! Spring is definately on its way! Karl planted some broad beans yesterday and today we planted some garlic. They are seedlings from the Isle of Man which have already grown by a few weeks by a friend of Karl's who has an allotment in Splott. They smell very strongly of garlic even at an early stage of growth!
We planted them pretty close to 5pm so it was very dark by the time we had them in the ground - hence no photos.
The trick in planting them is to spread the roots as far as possible but keep them 6 inches apart from each other. Their little stems are just poking through the top!

Hopefully next weekend I will be able to finish off the patch of ground I'm digging and start some more beds for future planting. The ground has to be sorted out by the end of February.
Not sure where my sunflowers are going to go yet. Maybe by the greenhouse?

Before I forget - we're going to try and grow potatoes in old car tyres....
I found this article on the BBC website:

Question from Kathy Carter: my husband has accumulated loads of car tyres. I've successfully grown carrots and courgettes in them but potatoes were a disaster, the tyres become a breeding ground for pests galore. What did I do wrong?

Bob: I know some 'allotmenteers' who grow potatoes in car tyres. I recommend this method for people who don't have a garden but do have some space which they can fill some car tyres with compost and grow things in them, first cut the sides out of the tyres so that they no longer trap water.

There should be no problems with growing Maincrop potatoes in car tyres full of compost because they're just like plastic containers, but don't try and grow Earlies because it won't work using this method. Some of the modern, short horn potatoes don't respond well either, the old-fashioned varieties respond the best, such as the 'Up To Date' or the 'Navan'. Finally, if you're trying to get a massive crop of potatoes it's absolutely essential to water them in mid-summer.