South Milford & Lumby

North Yorkshire

Grass Roots

Hints and tips - Garlic and Spuds

I was lucky at Christmas. Apart from getting the usual smellies and socks I had the gift of a range of vegetables and plants from my wife amongst which came garlic and potatoes from Thompson and Morgan. Garlic is the health vegetable at the moment giving medical improvements to your vascular (blood circulation) and immune systems and filling you with energised vitality. For me it provides an eye watering visit to the kitchen! Potatoes also provide the health kicking, antioxidants!
My ‘soft necked’ garlic bulb variety (there are hard neck types too) ‘Wight Cristo’ contain several small bulbils which I shall remove shortly, when I come to plant out in rows 6” apart in some well drained soil (rows at 15”) and using a trowel so to just show the tips. Don’t push them into the ground when planting. If conditions are wet or unworkable plant in individual 2” pots or unit trays and then transplant outside when the soil conditions improve. Being a root crop they will respond well to sulphate of potash at 2 ounces to the square yard. Keep free of weed and in August pull or fork out the yellowing plants. New bulbils should be completely separated inside the outer leaves to be ripe. Lay them out in a dry shed or greenhouse to dry off and pinch a pair of ladies tights to hang up and store.
Elephant garlic; really a stem leek produces 4” bulbs and might suit those that prefer a milder tang (or less eye watering variety). They will roast off to a delicious nutty taste! Garlic (another Allium) and leek belong to the Liliaceae family, which includes Tulips and Lilies.
Some thought must have gone into the choice of the potato varieties because by and large they were blight and eelworm resistant and were high in anti oxidants. Well we know about those with their ability to give the body some immunity to cancer and other diseases.
For general use I have ‘Sarpo Axona’ a new variety of 2005 and two early main crop varieties; Lady Balfour and ‘Highland Burgundy’. Lady Balfour (founder of the Soil Association) is a ‘Premier Cru’ of main crop varieties, has pink splashed skin and creamy flesh. It stores well and gives a high yield.
‘Highland Burgundy Red’ dates back to 1936 and was used for colouring the meal of the Duke of Burgundy at the Savoy Hotel. It makes great novelty chips and mash and is a clean potato to harvest.
The last choice was ‘Salad Blue’, originally grown in Scotland in the 1900’s and another novelty with blue flesh to get the little ones excited. It’s colour resistant if steamed and fried but does not boil well.
For those with a leaning towards the ultra unusual try ‘Shetland Black’ but you will be brave to order those with their selective taste!
All my varieties are chitting too well in the packaging they came in so I shall have to hold them back somehow. I have not yet discounted the wrath of my good lady by storing them in the kitchen fridge!
I’m providing well manured ground and taking out a 4” deep trench and setting the tubers in the bottom with a good covering of soil. The earlies will have rows 18” apart and 12” in the row and the main crop will be planted 18” in the row and rows 30” apart. What I haven’t got is a soil with a pH of around 6 – 6.5.
If you really want to have fun find a warm protected corner of the garden and try ‘sweet potatoes’. They really do pep up a meal and add another taste dimension. Mind you there is a quicker crop to be had in the supermarket, when you pick up the parsnips!

dave@daviddmitchell.co.uk
Yorkshire Landscape Gardens