Friday 18th March - In the garden

Today was glorious.

Sun all day, so I could spend plenty of time outside. 

I've sorted out a row of four patio tubs and grow sacks for my potatoes, and have managed to get them in (with help - much appreciated!) 

They are in the right-hand row of containers, the equivalent to rows 1 and 2 on Huw Richard's plan in 'Veg In One Bed'. They are covered by a layer of soil, and then some scrumpled brown packing paper as a slight protection should there be a frost. 

I have probably put too many chitted potatoes in each container, but how could I throw away any of the valiant little sprouts? The soil is very rich - straight from a brand new bag of potting compost (peat free, of course) so I'm hoping it will all be fine. I have discovered that I can order potting compost from the milk man, which makes life very easy to get hold of more bags.   

I have labelled the pots, or rather, I will label the pots, to correspond with the plan in the book. Here are pots number 5 and 10, with lettuces and radishes respectively. I'm hoping the clear plastic domes will encourage them along.

But wait - I already have a pot number 10! Out of sight, to the left of these, there is a pot with the garlic I planted back in November, in pot number 10! Luckily my system, although small scale, is very flexible. I solved the problem merely by writing out another label.

Noah's Ark; today's picture appears to be a frog;

Exodus chapter 8 1-3 confirms my guess;

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. 3 The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.

A hideous thought. It could have been a lot worse; in Australia they are plagued by poisonous cane toads, introduced from South America in 1935 to deal with two types of native beetle that affect the sugar cane crops. Like many of these 'good ideas' it seems to have gone spectacularly awry.  

I think, on the whole, I'd rather have the ants that seem to be everywhere in our garden, and occasionally in the house, than cane toads.