Spuds

 

Earthed up the spuds that were sown out about a month ago. Also gave them their first spray for prevention of Blight - next year I am going to give the potatoes that are know to be most resistant to Blight a try as I would prefer not to have to spray.

 There were a lot of stones and rocks still in the soil so decided to use them as paths for around the raised beds. Hadn't been sure what I was going to use for around the raised beds whether to go with membrane or bark or fancy stones. This will do as a temporary measure and also gives me somewhere to keep the stones I keep finding! So far I have just put them down loosely - will sort them properly later on in the season - to do it right, I should clear off the stones, level it, put down membrane, clean the stones and then place them back - just so much done (and still to do) so far this year, I can't face it right now.  So far I have 3 of the beds surrounded and at least the same again of stones/rocks to pick. When weeds grow in the gaps between the stones, I am going to control them with vinegar (really only effective on young weeds or else you have to re-apply frequently).

 

As you can see from the above photo we are still waiting on delivery of our stone circle - would you believe Indian Sandstone has to come from India :-) On a ship somewhere in the ocean with no docking date - we have tried other types of stone, but no other style does a 5m circle. If we had known we would be waiting so long ( over 2 months now), we could have designed it for a 4m circle of which there are a lot of different stone types available(and in stock!).

The onions that were planted out later on are doing well - as they are directly in the soil there are a lot of weeds that keep popping their heads up so constant vigilance is needed to keep them under control.  I grew onions in slits cut in membrane before which was great as only a minimum of weeds managed to poke their heads out (at the slits). Might be something to try for next year. My hoe has taken over a life of its own at times and sent one or two of the poor onions flying!