Swift as a shadow, short as any dream

Swift as a shadow, short as any dream,
Brief as the lightning in the collied night,

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Our first-early potatoes, 'Swift', are shown in the picture below.
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Asparagus Days

Our asparagus bed is performing really well and we have been cutting some nice thick spears every time we visit the allotment.

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For lunch on Good Friday, I made asparagus with an hollandaise sauce using a recipe from Delia Smith... see here.  The starter was served on the beautiful asparagus dish that was given to us as a present from our friend Ann.   Simple and delicious !

Good Companions !

This year we will be planting 'companions' alongside our crops. We shall have 'Poached Egg Plant' (limnanthes) growing alongside our soft fruit because this plant attracts hover flies which will attack aphids and other nasties. 

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Alyssum will grow alongside potatoes as an attractive mulch. 

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Chervil and dill will grow in amongst the strawberries, parsley and tagetes between the apples to reduce the risk of apple scab, summer savory alongside broad beans to help repel black fly and 'Love Lies Bleeding' (amaranth) in with sweetcorn... apparently it will bring nutrients to the top soil !

Oh what a beautiful morning !

It was a beautiful, sunny morning down on the patch.   Our fruit trees and bushes are looking very good... the dwarf Cherry looking particularly nice in full blossom.
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We planted six rows of Potatoes :  Two rows of 'Kerrs Pink' and two rows of 'Cara'.  The first-earlies 'Swift' are already showing well and some should be ready for lifting in early May.
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Another row of Carrots was sown this morning alongside the other row sown earlier in the week plus Rocket, Lettuce, Beetroot and Kohl Rabi.

Strong to the finish....

  

I planted one full row of Spinach down at the patch today. Half of the row was 'Perpetual' Spinach (Spinach Beet) and the other half was Spinach "Fiorana F1", to get a better indication of which type produces the better yield.

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