Page 13 - Simply Vegetables Winter 2022/23

Potatoes in flower
laid on ground which had been cultivated the previous year and covered these with long strips of black polythene. I scattered some slug pellets on the ground before the layer of grass cuttings. I cut slits in the polythene at 15-inch (38cm) centres and put the seed potatoes in through the slits and grass until they touched the ground. All went well at the beginning shoots started to appear, but some mysteriously disappeared again. I eventually discovered that the crows had started taking them
as the shoots appeared through the polythene. (Crows are smart). The ones that survived did eventually work out alright but needed watering through the slits. There were still a lot of slugs around too. At harvesting stage, the results were disappointing. The return of potatoes was
Small potato crop
below average when compared with the conventional method, with some very small potatoes. In conclusion this method saves a lot of time and effort, with no weeding. If grass clippings were not used the polythene sweating may have kept the ground moist. While the soil underneath here did not dry out completely, it was a very dry year overall and the crop didn’t get enough water to produce satisfactory growth. After I had completed the raised beds and polythene beds in late June, I did manage a small amount of digging. A few blight resistant Carolus seed potatoes I had got from the Organic centre in Leitrim were planted in a conventional drill. These grew very well, and I was pleased with
the results, as shown in the final photo. Overall, I got an insight into the problems
that people with some type of disability must overcome to work in a garden. I was pleased with the results I obtained from starting off seeds indoors. I intend to put
in a few more raised beds and have a go at using polythene for crops other than potatoes. I was not happy with the results of growing potatoes under polythene, but it did save a lot of weeding and I would be willing to experiment and have a go at new methods of doing things. I think people will turn to methods of cultivation that require less digging and weeding because as well as being hard work it is time consuming. Even though more people can work from home now, they still spend a lot of time away on shopping, school runs and extra- curricular or leisure activities.
Carolus potatoes
Parsnip in tubes
Simply Vegetables 13