Potato patch 2011
 

Well its the time of year to get the seasons spuds in the ground.
The area in the photos is one of four blocks dedicated only for spuds,it last had potatoes two years ago and has been green cropped with oats and Broad beans over that period.

First task was to rake back the dead oats left over from the winter's green crop so as to allow enough room for two or three rows of potatoes at a time.
To the left of this area that i'm digging over is next years block that this growing season i will grow oats to used as a mulch around this season crop



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Then i planted the rows a half a meter apart then covered with a layer of horse poo and sawdust then finally on top the old oat mulch is spread over to stop the blackbirds from flicking horse poo and sawdust around looking for worms but also to stop weeds through the growing season.
I'll update this thread as the planting is completed in a few days

It looks good! It is great that you have enough land to green crop and rotate crops over time.

That is nice looking dark soil. I wish I had more that looked like that.


What's the fuzzy light green patch in the backgopund? asparagus?

I wish my garden looked that well tended! I'm building up my stocks of manure and compost, and it was my first year gardening my land, so I guess I should not be to hard on myself.......

[QUOTE=TZ-OH6;237993]That is nice looking dark soil. I wish I had more that looked like that.


What's the fuzzy light green patch in the backgopund? asparagus?[/QUOTE]

Sorry for the late reply,ive had no computer for the last 6 days,man ya can get a lot more gardening done when you don't have one for a few days hey.
Are you talking about the taller Bamboo at the back of the garden??

[QUOTE=wingnut;238005]I wish my garden looked that well tended! I'm building up my stocks of manure and compost, and it was my first year gardening my land, so I guess I should not be to hard on myself.......[/QUOTE]

Takes time Doug,i look back to the first year i set this garden set up and what a lot of hard work it was too.

Talking compost,i have access to a large number of wild pine trees which are a pest tree in NZ so i use them in the compost system,in the photo below are two heaps, on the right is one thats made up of stacking in front and dig out from behind,it works in a anticlockwise rotation and is made up of all the garden/house waste+seaweed,rock phosphate and dolomite.On the left side is where i age pine logs which when rotten are put through the main compost system,its all free carbon that has really help build a fertile garden over the last ten years of living here

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It's very nice area to garden. What spuds are you growing this year?

In the first few photos in this thread, there are trees in the background with white blossoms. Are they fruit trees or just flowering trees?

I wish I could send you some material as I have alot of stuff with very short to non-existant dormancy.

[QUOTE=Mark0820;239113]In the first few photos in this thread, there are trees in the background with white blossoms. Are they fruit trees or just flowering trees?[/QUOTE]

Yes Mark,they are apple trees flowering,been a good spring too so there should be lots of fruit later on.

[QUOTE=wingnut;239212]I wish I could send you some material as I have alot of stuff with very short to non-existant dormancy.[/QUOTE]

Its a shame that the customs authorities wont let any of that type of plant material in here.
So how would those very short to non-existent dormancy types go in my short frost free clmate go Doug :?!?:

They would do well I'm sure, storage is the tough part. I am haveing some luck in the refrigerator, slowing down the rate of sprouting. I also have them growing under lights to produce tubers to plant in spring if the others don't make it.
I have seed off most of them if you would like to try some.

Some TPS might be Ok i think :yes:,a PM on its way;)

Time flies, I just looked and I' haven't checked back in a week. Yes, looks like bamboo now that you mention it, -- we don't get a lot of that around here.

Potatoes are now coming through the mulch layer,did have some good rain in early spring but now has started to dry so the four sprinklers are now working 24/7
The list planted are -
Three rows of Catriona
Three rows of Moie moie
One row of La Ratte
Three rows of Mystery
Half row each of lo Owl skycap and Diamond Blue from toms TPS
One row of Rima
Three rows of Cara
One row of Kowiniwini

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