Potatoes Sarpo Mira, Sarpo Axona, Anya and Adora

Potato Order

Decided to order some of the potatoes for next year today. So visited the Thompson and Morgan web site, which denied the existence of their special offer on Sarpo potatoes. So to telephone the order, rang up and was faced with a ‘press one for this, two for that’ system.

Oh well, they’ll get my order via snail mail now.

I’ve ordered

• 20 Tubers of Sarpo Mira


• 20 Tubers of Sarpo Axona (a new variety, hopefully better for roasting than Mira)


• 20 Tubers of Anya – our favourite salad potato


• Pack of Nemaslug (the nematodes) to bump up the order value so we pay less postage and get the free gifts of:


• Vegetable seed collection (I’ve no idea what this is made up from!!)


• 20 Tubers of Adora, the new first early, low calorie potato – not that I need a low calorie potato, honest.

You’d think they’d make it easy!

Next to order some garlic. I want to try Solent Wight, which is reputed to keep well so went to The Garlic Farm web site. Started to place the order but when I hit the checkout they drop in a ?4.95 delivery charge. I hate web sites that aren’t up-front about delivery charges and surprise you.

So went exploring to try to see if a better deal was to be had. You just have to assume on quality, which only leaves price to compare by. Some sites demand you register before you can even get that far. I have to wonder how these people would run a shop or even a party in a brewery.

Plan now is to try a good garden centre I know tomorrow then order online if need be. I’ve noticed a trend for garden centres to turn into general stores selling almost everything but gardeners needs. There are still a few around where you can buy things like lime, seeds, compost etc at reasonable prices – but they are getting fewer.

Visit to the plot.

I went down to the plot for an hour today, between showers. The soil is very wet so I didn’t actually do anything but have a wander around and a chat with few people.

The leaves have started to fall and the first delivery is on site. Still haven’t emptied the bin on plot 5 – lots to catch up on.

With the clocks going back, it was going dark at 5pm so I need to factor this in on my timing. I’m not a morning person but if I want to get much done in the next month, I need to become one.

Still no frost and they predict a harsh winter. My brother tells me the weather pattern is similar to 1962, which was a really cold winter.

Greenhouse

I’m a lucky chap. While I was away, my wife spotted a greenhouse in the local paper for ?60.00.  8′ x 10′, dismantled. They negotiated a discount (well trained!) and delivered it to the plot for me.

I now have the mother of all meccano sets to play with. More on this wonderful addition as the construction proceeds. I have an irrigation system for it, already. We bought a micro-irrigation kit from ebay for the hanging baskets earlier in the year for ?14.00. So, into Wilkinsons where they were ?7.00 and 75% off in the sale. I got 3. This means we can do the home greenhouse and the allotment. I also have a dripper with a water storage bag, which will come in useful.