Episode 643: Potato Prep, Celery Sowing & Composting Insights
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Welcome back to another episode of The Veg Grower Podcast. This week has very much been about working with the weather, preparing for the season ahead, and slowing things down where patience is required.
From soggy allotment soil and potato bed preparation, to sowing celery in the potting shed, plus a cracking book all about composting, there’s plenty to catch up on.
Down on the Allotment: Preparing the Potato Beds
It’s been a wet one this week. The ground has been absolutely saturated in places, but despite that, progress has still been made.
The main focus on the allotment has been preparing the potato beds. Over winter, green manures have been growing on these beds, and now they’ve been cut down to soil level. Rather than removing the material, everything has been left in place and covered with a couple of inches of compost. This will break down over the next few weeks, adding organic matter and nutrition ready for planting.
Potatoes usually go in around 20 March, so this preparation gives the soil time to settle and start doing its thing.
Seed potatoes are being handled slightly differently this year too. Instead of buying early and storing them for weeks, they’ve been ordered to arrive towards the end of February. This reduces the need for long chitting and avoids weak, leggy shoots developing too early.
Despite the noise from a new nearby road, it’s good to feel like the allotment is moving forward and winter jobs are finally being ticked off.
Seed of the Month: Celery
Back home in the potting shed, this month’s seed of the month is celery — a crop that often gets an unfair reputation.
Celery isn’t difficult, but it is slow and very honest about what it needs. Home-grown celery has far more flavour than shop-bought, and you don’t even need to wait for full heads. Young stems and leaves are perfect for soups and stocks.
Celery has been sown early because it needs a long growing season. The seeds are tiny and need light to germinate, so they’re scattered on the surface of the compost rather than covered. They’re then placed into a heated propagator and left alone — patience is key, as germination can take a few weeks.
One important point with celery is consistency. It hates drying out and dislikes any checks in growth. This makes sense when you realise celery is a coastal plant by origin, so steady moisture is essential throughout its life.
Once seedlings are large enough, they’ll be potted on gradually, grown steadily, and planted out towards the end of April into rich, moisture-retentive soil. With regular watering and feeding, harvesting can begin in late summer.
In the Kitchen: Crispy Potato & Leek Hash
This week’s recipe is a simple, humble favourite — crispy potato and leek hash with garlic and herbs.
With plenty of potatoes in store, leeks still coming out of the ground, and herbs to hand, this felt like the perfect quick midweek meal.
Parboiled potatoes are crisped up in a pan before adding leeks, garlic and herbs, finished with seasoning, butter, and a sprinkle of cheese. It’s cheap, filling, adaptable, and ideal for growers cooking from what they’ve got rather than following strict recipes.
Book of the Month: Composting by Bob Flowerdew
January’s book of the month has been Composting by Bob Flowerdew, and it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable read.
The book covers what actually happens inside a compost heap, the different ways compost can be made, and the pros and cons of each approach. Rather than telling you how to compost, it gives you the information and lets you decide what works best for you — something that feels very true to gardening as a whole.
It’s an easy, readable book that still manages to inspire confidence and encourage you to do more with compost, whether at home or on the allotment.
February’s read will be No Dig by Charles Dowding, borrowed from the library and ready to get started.
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