Planting out Potatoes

After four glorious days of warm springshine today it snowed. Then it sleeted. Then the sun shone for a few seconds. Then it rained and then the cycle started again. Occasional hailstones were the only variation to the damp and cold.
With the prospect of several days of this weather there was nothing else for it but to head out in the breaks and the rain and dash back into the shed when the snow, sleet or hail started.
In this way the potato planting was accomplished.
First a trench was dug along one side of the bed. It was about a spade's depth and the soil removed was carefully placed on the side closest to the centre of the bed.

 

The next trench was dug parallel to the first trench and about 40cm away. A third trench went alongside in the same way.
Some well rotted goat manure was scattered in the bottom of each trench. Any larger lumps were broken up.
Then the seed potatoes were placed into the manure at about 40cm spacings. The varieties used are King Edward, Dutch Cream and Bintje - all larger all rounders. A thin layer of soil was knocked off the top of the heaps to cover the seed potatoes and the manure.

 

Finally the whole bed was covered with mulch - a bale of Lucerne hay.
As the potatoes grow the heaps will be pushed into the trench and then dug down so the trenches are beside the heaped up potatoes. As long as there are not too severe a late frost there should be plenty of potatoes to harvest next year.