A watched potato, like a kettle, never seems to boil (or in this case, chit). I was late buying seed potatoes this year. The seed catalogues had all sold out, and I was resigning myself to a year without potatoes. But I came across boxes of them, several desirable varieties, in that wonderful emporium A&I Supplies in Elgin. The A must stand for 'agricultural', and the I 'industrial'. Chicken coops, gigantic rakes and hay forks, protective clothing of every sort, steel toe-capped boots, mucking out boots, vast bags of dog food, bird seed....
My goodness they took a long time to sprout. But here they are just before planting, spread out on the sports pages of the newspaper, which are the section no-one in our household reads unless it's a report of a Scotland rugby match (husband) or rowing or cross-country skiing during the Olympics (me). The cricket report above is written in a strange foreign language of trajectories and spin and bounce. I haven't a clue who the footballer below is.
However the potatoes are now safely in the ground - Duke of York and Charlotte. No growth showing yet, and I don't blame them. Temperatures here are bumping along at 8 or 9 degrees. The ground is cold. Trees are struggling to come into leaf. I'm not even thinking of sowing seeds outside. I go to work wearing my down-filled winter coat and gloves, so the thought of pushing seeds into stone-cold earth is not attractive, either for them or me.
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7 comments:
Our potatoes are only just starting to tentatively push through the soil.
Our potatoes are already planted and sprouting. I think being late to buy seed potatoes will be a blessing. I have some seeds out under cloches but most of them is still cluttering up the greenhouse. The sports pages are useful for a whole number of jobs after I've read the tennis article...
Think positive Linda! It might turn out to be a sweltering-hot Summer / Autumn! (Well, maybe, just maybe...)
It's hard to imagine cold weather, as it is baking here in the desert. However, we'll be traveling in Europe soon, so we will have to imagine whatever it is one wears when it is raining!
Marvelous use of background newspapers. Your post is a double one for those who can read the small print.
I'm sure your potatoes are well established now! The recent warm weather seems to have given plants the growth spurt they needed.
Poor little things don't know if they are coming or going do they?
Great to find you. Keep going as they say.
I am just trying potatoes for the first time this year. Hoping yours do well!
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