Excellent service

I got back last Thursday, arriving in thick fog, followed by cool and wet weather ever since - So nice to be home.  Seriously it is lovely to be back in good old Bury.  In a way I am 'enjoying' the bad weather as it lets me off cracking on with the garden and the allotment - two jungles that are offering a huge challenge to knock back into shape.  I might not be in my decrepitude yet but I think I am past fettling yards and yards of garden especially when I am not here half a year to keep on top of it.  I have a cunning plan.....

Every year for the next four years I am going to dig up an entire border and replace perennials with shrubs and deep mulch to help keep the weeds down.  Ultimately then, our jobbing gardener can keep that under control.  That will still leave me the front garden and about twenty pots to play with.

Meanwhile in the spirit of onwards and upwards I ordered my seed potatoes.  This is a 'luxury' purchase and one I would avoid in everything except potatoes - ironically the lowliest of veg.  The problem being I really only want to grow International Kidney and they aren't that easy to get, so every year I treat myself to an order from Marshalls Seeds and I have to commend them to you.  Incredibly I ordered them on 17th and they arrived on the 18th.  Well done Marshalls.  Take a run through their on-line catalogue but sit on your credit card.

I hope they don't mind my borrowing a photo of my future spuds - if you want to read about them as well click here:  International Kidney

They are the only spud I have grown that don't get blight and can be eaten from tiny taters - Jersey Royals - to the huge tubers they form as they go on - so basically it is my three season potato.  I am sure there will be spud experts who will quibble with this but I have boiled, baked, sautéed from June onwards and they are great.