Universally challenged

Marooned in the house because of the incessant rain, it's still constant thinking instead of action on the vegetable patch.

My mate Steve has sent me a message about potatoes and how he looks forward to the planning and the planting. He sent with it a photograph of his wife Marianne with their 'spud planter'. My wife Susan thought the tool had a proper name, but couldn't for the life think of it. Neither could I.

The gaps in our knowledge are remarkable at times - or is it a sign of memory fading?

There's a photograph of it shown above. I haven't edited Marianne out of it through aesthetic reasons, but rather because some people don't like their image put all over the internet. Ony right to respect privacy.

Mm...green manure. Something to savour

My friends Steve and Marianne, who know all there is know about growing vegetables, urge me to be optimistic about my little patch. Some seeds might wake up and have a look above ground, they tell me.

In particular, they warn me about autumn digging and leaving the sods bare for winter frost to break up.

Here's what they say:

"Soil is a living structure , and needs to interact with plant roots. Only dig ground and put in manure and/or compost just as you're about to sow/plant crops. If you have bare soil grow a green manure in it. One of the best is Phacelia tanacetifolia, which you might have seen growing on our plot. It's not related to any crop plants, so it won't affect your
rotation. Bees love its flowers. It's incredibly easy to pull up and compost. (Don't try the digging in idea: too much hard work!) Phacelia seed is hideously expensive though, but it goes a long way."

Needless to say, I had been planning on leaving the soil bare. I'd never heard of Phacelia or even green manure. Having boned up on it all, I believe I will give it a go.

They get theirs from the Organic Gardening Catalogue and I reckon I will do the same. In fact, I'll peruse it to see if I can buy anything else at the same time for when I do start planting.