On 02/02/2013 16:35, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Spider" wrote
Goodness! You've taken a lot on, Bob. I assume these are for your
allotment rather than your house garden.

I'll be particularly interested in how you get on with your Kestrel,
since I'm growing those too, but a general report at the end of the
season would be great. I imagine you're also growing on London Clay?
Let's hope we don't get a summer of blight, floods and grizzly
gastropods.


Grown it for years and years, excellent potato, good for just about
everything in the kitchen and also showing if you're that way inclined.
Does not keep as long as a maincrop but we use the Kestrel up first.
Yes, we are on Thames silt/clay, very acid, heavy and very sticky,
constantly needs a lot of organic matter and working to make it friable.
Can't get on it to do anything until it dries out.



Well, that's good to know. I'm not too worried about keeping them,
unless I roast and freeze them first, so that's not a problem.

I know exactly what you mean about the sticky clay. I've improved mine
a lot in the 32 yrs we've been here, but it is still too heavy for some
things. We don't have the silt, alas, since we're not near the Thames.
I just add as much homemade and bought compost as I can, plus extra
grit to open it up. I do have a few raised beds, so I can try more arid
plantings. Although pockets of our soil are acid, there has been so
much building on the site, that there's lots of old mortar and broken
concrete.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay