PLANTING POTATOES

Potatoes can be grown in almost any soil; it is the best crop to grow in grassland or wasteland, which is to be turned into a vegetable plot. Earthing the potatoes up and their dense leaf canopy, which stops weeds growing, helps to clear the ground. In established vegetable plots don’t grow potatoes on areas where they have been planted within the last two years, as there could be a build up of pests such as eelworm that will cause yellowing leaves and tiny tubers.

EARLY POTATOES
Early potatoes are simply maincrop potatoes dug up when they are the size of duck eggs.
When you get your seed potatoes, put them in trays or egg boxes, resting them on some dry peat compost. Have the rose end upwards; this will be the end with the greatest number of eyes. Place in a frost-free room, out of direct sunlight so that sprouting can take place. This process is known as chitting. When the sturdy shoots are 2 to 3cm long they are ready for planting out. Don’t plant out soft or diseased seed.

Choose a sunny spot. If the soil wasn’t manured in autumn, then add some peat or compost to have the soil ready for planting in the next few weeks. If planting in grassland wireworm may be a problem, these are 1-2cm long, shiny, yellow grubs that attack the roots. You can use a chemical (Pirimiphos- methyl) to control these or an organic method. Cut an old potato in half, cut out the eyes (to stop them sprouting) fix these on sticks and bury 10cm into the ground. Put one every square metre. The wireworms will be attracted to these. Check them every day and destroy any you find in soapy water. Do this before the seed potatoes are planted.

Potatoes dislike cold and wet conditions so unless you plant the spuds under black polythene, wait until the sun has warmed the soil and the danger of frost recedes.

Horticultural.

WATERING SYSTEM-PLANTING STEEP SLOPES

I’ve just received a package through the post containing a new water sprinkler system for my polythene tunnel and the display beds. The system has been conveniently put into eight different packages for me to assemble, each one clearly labelled, reminding me of my youth when I used to make up Airfix models. This kit contains about the same amount of pieces as a model of the Cutty Sark I built when I was ten! It even comes with a pot of glue. Although it’s taken me a whole day to finish package number one, this system will save me loads of valuable time in the spring and summer, when watering has been known to take up my whole day. In summer, even when it has been raining, some plants still need a good watering. If you keep containers you will know what I mean. A lot of my shrubs in containers died this summer because of lack of water, so this system should rectify the problem next year (If I can assemble it by then!)

Steep slopes
Out of all the questions that I’m asked about gardening problems, the most frequently asked one is how to plant up a steep slope. A lot of housing sites, around the peninsula, are formed by excavating the side of a hillside and when the site has been levelled for the building, the owners are sometimes left with a large bank, usually to the rear of the property. In extreme circumstances, the bank is nearly all solid rock. Generally when the architects design the back of the site, they will recommend a retaining wall to keep the mud bank from sliding it’s way into the back door. I have no doubt this is a very effective method, but the result is usually a bare expanse of very poor soil or rock sloping up from the top of the wall. I will make my apologies now by saying there are no easy answers to this problem, what can be done with this sort of area largely depends on some key points.

How far is the bank from the house?

If the steep bank is close to the house then large shrubs shouldn’t be used as this will block off a lot of the light. Groundcover plants will be more suitable.

Which way does the bank face?

This will be an important factor when choosing plants for shade or sun. (Remember the house could shade even a south-facing bank)

What is the soil and drainage like?

If the soil is poor or the ground is very wet, this will limit the amount of plants you can choose for the site. The soil and drainage could be improved to enable a wider choice of plants to be used.

If the slope isn’t very steep: Then a ground cover mesh could be used and this could be gravelled or wood bark used. The area could even be grassed if you can get the mower on it.

If the slope is very steep: Then fast growing groundcover plants could be used to hold the soil in place. The slope could benefit by using rockery stones or even to tier the area into different levels using bricks or wood. This again will stop soil erosion.

The biggest problem these banks pose, especially while they are establishing, is maintenance. Access is usually only achieved by fearless people with the use of a rope and tackle who have no fear of falling from high places! So this has to be taken into serious consideration before any work is carried out.

Top tip
Old bananas that have gone all mushy are one of the best things you can throw at the bottom of the rose bushes. They rot down quickly and are rich in calcium, magnesium sulphur and phosphates, all the things roses love. (Alternatively mix them up with custard and eat them)

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FROGS

I’ve been trying to keep the frost out of my polythene tunnel this week. The daytime temperatures have been very good with the warmth of the sun, but the heat soon disappears once the sun has set. I have been a bit concerned about the change in temperature. The bedding plant seedlings on the propagation bench are coming up but it’s important to keep them at a constant temperature as swings can affect their germination. Geraniums, a window box favourite, will all germinate at different times over a period of a few weeks, or not at all if the heat changes constantly. The heater cables are doing a great job at keeping the soil warm, but I still have to resort to the old method of paraffin lamps at night to keep the air around the seedlings at a nice cosy temperature. One thing in the tunnel that is enjoying the extra warmth is a new member of the gardening team, my pet frog.

At the end of last year I dug a hole at the lowest point in the tunnel and built a small pond with the idea that I would get some frogspawn this spring to get some help with pest control. I may not have to bother now as this frog looks as though it may be expecting quite soon - either that or it’s getting really fat from eating all the juicy slugs that are hiding underneath the pots. Frogs are a great asset in any garden. They eat loads of other pests besides slugs. Caterpillars, woodlice and millipedes all get munched by our froggy friends.

Some frog facts
The common frog was introduced to Ireland in the 18th century. As yet, there aren’t any frogs that are the edible type in this country - you’ll have to go to France or southern England to sample the frog legs delicacy.

Frogs will breed in any pond, however temporary; I saw some spawn in a puddle in the middle of the road that runs up from Cockhill church last year! Each female lays up to 2000 eggs every spring. These start small but quickly absorb water and swell to form the familiar spawn.

If you have a patch of water or even an area that is very wet you might have to introduce the frogs. If you want to catch a few frogs and add them to the pond then it’s worth remembering that the male frogs are a good deal smaller than the females. Last year we collected frogspawn and the kids enjoyed watching the tadpoles emerging and the transformation into frogs very much. Unfortunately our cat enjoyed the delicacy of young frogs (froglets) very much. Obviously she hadn’t read that Irish frogs aren’t edible!

Toads may be distinguished from frogs by their dry, warty skin and they don’t have a hump on their backs like frogs. The toads are generally smaller than frogs. They also prefer deeper water to breed. Like the frog they are very useful in the garden. Frogs as far as I can see, do no damage whatsoever. The one in my tunnel hasn’t ever tipped one pot over yet. Late March is a good time for a frogspawn expedition.

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TRANSPLANTING SNOWDROPS

I love the snowdrop. Its fresh white colour, the delicacy of the green markings inside the flower. Its humble, graceful stance. The anticipation of a new season beginning. If you have a drift of snowdrops and would like to share some with a friend, or simply introduce them into another part of your garden, the best time to do so is after they have finished flowering. Dig up a clump of the bulbs with a spade, and replant in your chosen position. Try and put them somewhere where they wont be too disturbed. Under a tree is a good spot, as they will get the light that summer flowers will not.

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GREEN GARDENS

A garden that is green doesn’t have to be limited by the colour of the lawn. All gardens can benefit in their design by introducing a Green policy, meaning using old discarded products, for example if you buy a product that comes in a plastic container such as milk, the empty bottle can be used as a mini propagator or pushed into the ground near a plant with the base removed (this can be used as a saucer or seed tray) and when filled with water will soak to the roots where it’s needed. A friend of mine who has an allotment refuses to throw anything away, his borders are edged with old long-playing records, and the raised beds are made from old wardrobes and drawers. Any paper or cardboard is put down as mulch or added to grass clippings to make very good compost when rotted down. His shed is constructed out of old window frames and the peas and beans are growing up happily around old scaffolding poles. The allotment has a few old comfy armchairs scattered around for when you need to take a rest, these too after a year or two will rot down nicely and be added to the soil.

Here are a few more examples of reusing things in the garden:

Use polystyrene beads from packaging to mix with your compost when filling containers, they create pore spaces for water and allows air to flow, it will make the containers lighter too.
Make an interesting addition to paths walls and borders by incorporating bottles. Push the bottles into the ground or wall until only the base is showing, use different colours for a pleasing effect. There is crushed glass on the market at the moment, these look like shiny pebbles and are effective in pots as well as the garden.

Combine broken concrete, old bricks, wood and natural stone to form walls with texture and form in the garden.

Old railings can be turned into fences or trellises

If you have old paint in the shed this can be used to paint the railings or any old furniture that raised beds are made from.( I can’t think of anything else to do with old paint that would be safe)
Don’t discard your old bathroom, plant up the old toilet with petunias or turn the sink into a birdbath. The bath could make an interesting water feature; it would make an ideal home for a water Lily.

Recycled garden products
Most products bought in shops come with some form of plastic packaging, which is mostly unnecessary and after the product has been removed is usually useless. To save this waste going to landfills, companies such as BPF in Downpatrick Co. Down (tel, 00442844831831) are doing their bit to recycle old plastic products. This still takes energy to do, but they are trying to remould the plastic into pellets at low temperatures to make sure there are no poisonous fumes released into the atmosphere, as happens with most things that are burned. These pellets are moulded into heavy-duty garden products such as fence posts, fences, decking boards, pergolas and trellis. Street signs, litterbins and bollards for council use are also made. The company claim the product out performs hardwood, cast iron and concrete. BPF can only use the waste from one supermarket chain to be at full working capacity, which gives us some idea of the amount of waste that isn’t being used for recycling, including lumps of concrete!

If you have any ideas for reusing old rubbish or have a garden feature made from reused materials please let me know.

Horticultural.