The propagators and window sills at home have been doing sterling service over the last few weeks, but this week it has been time to start sowing outside.  We have not gone for very early sowing as the work we’ve been doing on getting the bed structure sorted out has limited the opportunities for warming the soil prior to sowing.  We have however used our mini polytunnel to warm up the roots bed and have got the first beetroot and carrot sowings in.  After the success of last year’s beetroot we have increased the amount that we are looking to grow this year and have also expanded the colour horizon with ‘Choggia’ ‘Burpees Golden’ joining last year’s winner ‘Boltardy’.

We’ve also got the main crop potatoes in and some of the earlies.  We are going with Rudolph again for main crop.  These not only eat well, but they have kept superbly, we are just about to finish off last year’s crop.  We are going for succession sowings of earlies to try to extend the cropping season as these are best eaten fresh rather than stored.  We are trying Piccolo Star this year after last year’s rather disappointing performance from Lady Christl and Charlotte – of course we later found out that new/early potatoes had been disappointing over much of the country last year due to the very dry early spring and the subsequent rather cold late spring and early summer.