If You Go Down to the Patch Today...

I went out today to have a go at being a farmer. Well, this is the point of the self-sufficiency plan isn't it? So down to the veggie garden I trooped. I haven't got a nice wicker basket yet to carry my findings so I am doing my bit for the environment and am using old plastic fruit trays from the supermarket instead!

I went specifically for potatoes as the time has come for my first earlies to be ready. I have noticed that things on top of our hill seem to be slower to 'do' than is listed in any book, so I have had to wait a little longer than the books advise for my early potatoes but I was not disappointed! We currently have nowhere to store a total haul of tatties so I am digging as needed so I managed to unearth 6 nice looking Red Dukes for tea. And my oh my how red they are once all that grub is washed off!!!

But I was surprised to find that my wind battered pea plants had come good in the end and had left me a few pods, with some still remaining! I don't think these plants will be seeing us through the bleak midwinter but I am glad that they have grown as well as the have and I think that I have learned much from this year about making next year a success!

As you can see the strawberry plants (of which 5 remain after the sheep/cat/rabbit attack) have managed to club together and produce 3 fruit for me. Not huge but very tasty. This year I am really just trying to get the plants nice and established and get them producing some nice runners to up the Strawberry Patch population!