Potatoes

I love growing potatoes, especially Dutch Creams and Nicola’s.

It’s the whole planting process through to Bandicooting them when the first potatoes are ready and the final harvest.

I also love growing fruit trees and berries.

There is something so honest about walking through our small fruit tree orchards or along our Food Hedges and picking ripe fruit and eating it straight away, hens or ducks at my feet pottering about. The fruit so juicy and fresh. It is like nothing else.

Plus I love gathering baskets full to make something.

Herbs.

It’s wonderful to have a herb garden. Picking small bunches of marjoram or rosemary for the kitchen bench. Colanders full of thyme when it is at its peak for drying. The aroma, making herb salts and herb blends to add to pasta dishes, bread dough and pizza sauces.

And of course flowers, there are never enough flowers.

What about you? What are your favourites?

Keep a look out for bare rooted fruit trees, berries and roses sold barerooted, usually in bags full of some type of sawdust medium. Late Autumn through to mid Winter are when they are in the nurseries or on mail order and at their prime to be taken home and planted. Late Winter is when all the left over stock starts going on sale, popular varieties are sold out and depending on how well the nurseries have cared for them, you could get a bargain or buy something unsuspecting that it is well past its prime.

Happy Gardening,

Jude x