Hot Potato Hot Potato

Yet again this weekend I only got into the garden on Sunday. But that was ok because we had things going on. Lily had her first concert (of her choice). Live music is a very sacred thing in our family. In fact we all went along to this band as first timers and knew pretty much every word. 

This post is more about the spuds I got in the ground this week, but the title is all about the music. We went to The Wiggles live and I saw my little girl become both speechless and motionless as all her favourite songs were played by characters she thought lived in the T.V. So we truely did have a weekend of Hot Potatoes!

I am probably the last gardener to plant potatoes in all of New Zealand. Who said new spuds were only good at Christmas. If the packet is right with four months till harvest, our family will be enjoying yummy spuds in March.

I bought my seed potatoes ages ago on one of my trips to my favourite garden store for a halumi and beetroot salad. They have been in a black canvas bag in the bottom of the pantry for over a month now, feeling all warm and shooty. And Andrew only grabbed them twice thinking they were the potatoes to be cooked for dinner (a funny truck every time).

The actual planting of spuds is pretty easy. I planted Desiree and Agria. A row of each and I am also trying out some spud bags (both 2 x Desiree/bags). I heard about these on the Kitchen and garden radio show that I try to listen to for at least 10 minutes while kiddy wrangling on a Saturday morning. I have put one of the bags in a full sun spot and the other in the corner next to the garden bed of spuds. It will be interesting to see how they turn out.

My mum was telling me how she used to help my grandad plant spuds each year, when she was young. In a trench, handful of blood and bone and a spud every foot. I used worm wees this year as I have so much of it. If my yield is disappointing then next year I will use grandads approach. He owned an orchid and market garden all of his life so I'm sure that my small family plot won't out do his methods. However on the off chance that my dog gets into the veggie patch, I don't want the blood and bone leading to a crazy digging frenzy. besides, I have worm wees, it's sustainable and doesn't cost any money so I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.

Snail update.

I have been noticing that snails are getting caught in my bird netting around my strawberries and drying up in the sun. 

I have read that snails live and lay eggs in rocky areas and leaf matter.

My solution, I have wrapped left over bird netting all over my rocky boarders and right in under my plants. My hypothesis is that snails will try get out of their homes and onto my plant babies for a munch but will get caught in the net till morning. 

They have three options :

1) somehow free themselves and get to safety

2) struggle to escape, only to be dried out in the hot hot sun

3) remained trapped long enough to feel the wrath of my stone, first thing in the morning when I do my daily netting inspection.

Day one, I got five fat snails. This could be an effective approach.

Ps look at my zucchini!! About 8 flowers and 2 cute wee zucchinis.