Email problems

Most of my email still isn't getting through.  Richard says it's a problem with UK2.  I had a batch get through yesterday, and then it all dried up again.

Double fun as my voice is still too bad for phone calls.

Grr.

Freecycle

I'm giving away a lot of plant stuff on Freecycle recently.  (Richard's having to take the phone calls from people collecting, as I can't get incoming email, and I can't talk over the phone, but we're managing)

I think I've now given Jerusalem artichokes to 17 people (they're very, very productive...) and autumn-fruiting raspberry canes to five people.

Let's see whose number 6 on the raspberry request list...  Hm.  Would appear to be a lady named June.  I can do outgoing email, so let's see if she wants to collect some today.

We transplanted our autumn-fruiting raspberries to where the Jerusalem artichokes were (yes, we know we'll still be digging artichokes out of there for a long time to come...) and because we'd got them really well established where they were (because we prepared the bed really well when we put them in), they'd multiplied very well and when we'd transplanted enough for the new bed, we still had loads left to give away.

Potatoes

Planted the early potatoes today.  We've had some clear plastic sheeting over the ground for a couple of weeks to warm the soil, and we'll leave it there until the shoots emerge.

The early varieties we're trying this year are: Epicure and Foremost.

Next year, I may try and grow 'Sante'.  We got some from Riverford, our organic veg box supplier, and they had a lovely flavour.

Mind you, you can grow pretty much anything.  My mother-in-law gets excellent results from her seed potatoes.  The 'variety'?  Tesco Value!

Also went down the riding stables and carted away more sackloads of manure.  They love us - I've discovered why now.  It costs an absolute fortune if they have to pay someone to remove it.  If you have a local riding stable, ask if they'd like you to help yourself to manure - they may well say 'Yes please!".