52 down!

Fifty two spuds in the ground. Two rows. Thought the six I had prepared would be enough for the amount of potatoes we have to plant. It will not be. Two more rows need to be trenched. 

And a thought: what the hell possessed us to buy two bags when one would have done. But it was February, and since there was a distance in time of several weeks before the planting could be done, well, I suppose that we were carrying an enthusiasm for veg plot gardening because we could, because it was winter, because we couldn't go out and dig, because we could day dream about getting out on the veg plot, because we are smallholders, because we want to grow our own food, because we are daft. 

However, all the bad weather has given me a stiffness of the back because I have been sitting for a lot of hours at my computer, rendering me bent over when I walk, and irritable because I have sciatica. An hour planting spuds sorted all that out. The contortions needed to clamber in and out of the trenches, which weren't war-time deep, but felt like it as I got in and out of them, bending over to mulch, plant potato, mulch again, bit of fertiliser, cover all, with wind blowing, but no rain, not at that moment anyway, well, all those aches and pains went, so well done for the exercise Vera, you might have collapsed into a heap when you got back indoors, but you did get rid of the sciatica, even though you now have aching arms through trying to make trenches in water sodden ground with a blunt hoe. 

And God bless Lester who came and helped me make a trench, but he did that with a spade which just made for solid chunks of soil rather than the fine tilth that one should have if one is working one one's very own super duper veg plot. Fortunately it came on to rain so we had to call time on the spud planting project, but not before I went down Lester's spade dug trench and thwacked those clods of earth into smaller sized pieces, knowing full well that the sun will shine eventually and that when it does those clods will bake themselves into solid lumps which the growing potato plants will not appreciate being squashed under when they are earthed over. 

I have planted those potatoes with better care than those in the past. In previous years they have been dropped into holes with  nothing other than the bare soil to grow in. This year I have taken notice of helpful hints found on the Internet, so the ******s had better grow. 

...so did have a minimal surge of energy yesterday, although it was not sustainable. Hopefully a proper surge will happen soon..... we still have all the seeds and the rest of the spuds (approx 140) to plant. Off now to dig up a couple of spoonfuls of compost from the now defunct compost heap after the chickens took charge of it a while ago, but I might be lucky to get something out of the ground upon which the compost heap once stood.

Actually, I am not going to do that, because Sara and Paul down the lane have just invited us for a drink, and then I am off to choir. Heyho, that's me done with smallholding today!