MARKHOLE

  NEWS AND VIEWS

                                                                            April 2011                                                 

Dates for the Diary:  AGM 15^th May,

Open Day 30^th July

Meet the Committee 10^th April

 

Opportunity knocks for you to meet your Committee on the 10^th April in the hut and have a chat over a cup of coffee. This will not only help you to know who’s who on the committee, but provides an excellent occasion to voice any concerns about the running of the site, or any improvements you would like to see made.

Your shrub bed needs you! If only you could give thirty minutes to it, to yank out a few weeds its appearance would be greatly improved. Then if you cover the weed free area with nine to twelve inches of wood chips thick enough to shut out all light from the ground surface, no more seeds will germinate. That part of the bed will remain a monument to the thirty minutes you gave.

Again we have had a long Winter with sharp frosts in March. We now need a warm, if not hot Summer, to bring things on quickly to make up for lost time. Covering seed beds or seedlings with fleece or polythene can make a surprising difference, but if you use polythene make sure that the soil does not dry out, as rain of course will not penetrate.

Good Friday was always the traditional time for planting potatoes, but weather and soil conditions should be your guide. Early varieties tend to be hardier and it is worth the risk of planting a few before all risk of frost is past. If  there is a frost warning after the foliage is showing, draw the soil gently over the shoots to lightly cover and protect them. Again fleece can be helpful to give extra protection. Even if the shoots are damaged by the frost the plant will probably survive to give a reduced, but very welcome early crop of new potatoes. Freshly dug new potatoes are always so much nicer than shop or supermarket ones.

When the plants are about 9 inches high it will be necessary to earth up the potatoes. This is done in order to ensure that potatoes near the the surface are protected from the light which turns potatoes green. Green potatoes contain solanine and are poisonous so must never be eaten. Beginners sometimes plant potatoes on ridges in the belief that this will save them earthing up. It only risks exposing more potatoes to the light and makes the task of covering them more difficult.

 

                                                                      Editor Peter Foote