Hunts carrion

Don't you just love anagrams? Especially when cheating knobs are involved?


During early January I set a load of last season's crop of Kestrel and Amour away in trays in my shed, with a view to chitting these in March. I selected clean seed, with good colouring and will be growing these in bags in the usual way. I shall do this for the next two or three years (depending on resultant quality) and then buy in new stock. As temperatures were often forecast to go well below minus 10deg on several nights during January I covered the trays over with old bath towels and despite being next to a window this was enough to ensure these tubers came through the freezing weather unscathed. I feel most smug. I have now uncovered them and will allow the chitting process to begin in earnest.

Elsewhere, my shallots are really thundering along in the 1litre square pots, with good clean top growth and the odd root just poking through the bottoms of the pots.

As an experiment I dissected a couple of Dave Thornton's humungous donation shallots, and replanted each individual offset of which I managed to get 8. These are also currently growing away well. This was a method advocated by Medwyn many years ago and which should give very round bulbs in theory, as you don't need to mess about thinning the clumps in early May as usual. I don't think they'll give up large offspring, but I will keep them separate from the main plantings and see how they fare in comparison.

As a good weekend is forecast I intend to spend many hours in the garden starting to get the plot shipshape and Bristol Titty fashion. I have a fence panel to repair, a hundred foot run of wire fencing to tie back up after it was flattened by a couple of felled trees, and I shall be starting the Spring project of grubbing up several metres of shrubs that I planted 20 years ago in order to give me more growing space. Now that HMRC have sent me a new form to fill in (Question one: What is your name? Question two: How much do you earn? Question three: Just fucking send it to us) I need to maximise the production potential in my large-ish garden. I also want to make some room for a few chickens sooner or later.....note to WIFE/DAUGHTERS/GRANDSON....these are for egg production and when they don't do that it's Stewpot City. Do NOT become attached to them! People who call their hens 'the girls' need a check up from the neck up.

I need to get as much done as I can this weekend as I am tied up next weekend helping to man the NVS stand at The Edible Garden Show, for which I have manufactured (for free!) a display stand for the various merchandise that we try and sell. Just in case the HMRC are watching, I am doing this out of the kindness of my heart because I love the NVS and don't want to shaft a registered charity out of any money, which I am told sometimes happens but I couldn't possibly comment and indeed nor will I. My lips are sealed. Closed. Stum. Zip.