BY the end of January, the days are long enough to allow me a daily spell in the garden after I’ve finished at my desk. My early potatoes are already in their egg boxes, gently chitting in the cool porch. However, I won’t plant these frost-tender beauties until about 10 April. If I plant my potatoes any earlier, they are likely to get frosted, the foliage will blacken and they may even turn up their toes for good.
There is a long tradition of planting potatoes on Good Friday, and even when I was a child in the 1950s this was taken as gospel. I lived in suburban London and we generally got away with it, although if a frost was forecast we used weighted-down newspapers – the 1950s version of horticultural fleece – to keep the potatoes safe.
Planting on Good Friday must have been trickier in the heartland of England, as the lowest winter and early spring temperatures are generally recorded at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire. The whole idea of planting potatoes on Good Friday is religious superstition dating from Elizabethan times. This nutritious food
Denne historien er fra January 30, 2021-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
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Denne historien er fra January 30, 2021-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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To dig or not to dig?
Should we be carrying out a full dig on plots now? Bob considers the pros and cons of the 'autumn dig' debate
The box ball blues
As if his beleaguered box hadn't already taken a beating, Toby now has to deal with some hungry box caterpillars
Save your own seeds
Masterclass on: seed saving
Strange sightings
Three unusual insects turn up in Val's garden in one day
A bolt from the blue!
Cornflowers are perfect for garden and vase
Winter moth prevention
Ruth shows you how to avoid maggoty tree fruits
Create a winter container
There are as many options as in summer
Lightweight gardening tools
AS well as being good for our mental health, gardening is also great exercise.
Autumn price round-up
AG finds better bargains in lesser-known brands
Rudbeckias
Rudbeckias are ideal for sunny summer patios and borders, with some able to survive our coldest winters