Espaliered apple trees

These two dwarf apple trees (Pink Lady and Granny Smith) have endured a lot of wind gusts in its current location. I decided that I would have to espalier in order to support the branches, ease access to the surrounds and help keep the area neat and tidy. I used long stakes as posts and curtain rods tied horizontally.

After

After

Before

Potatoes

Potatoes

This is the progress of the potatoes planted in a bag months ago. They have been a bit slow popping up. The reasons could be that I planted them too deep, the cold weather and not enough sun. I did a little experiment a few weeks ago to see if Tuscan Kale or Cavalo Nero (Brassica oleracea) can be grown from cuttings. I took a off-shoot from an old kale plant that I had cut down to a stump. I then plonked them in the potato bed/bag. They seem to be doing well.

Potatoes in bag

My potatoes have chitted and I had no garden space to put them! That’s where the garden bag/vegetable planter came in handy. I can sit them on a concrete area and also aim for a greater yield by “hilling”. Much easier using the garden bags – I simply roll them up and add more soil as the plants grow. In the soil mix are layers of potting mix, coir (cocopeat), manure, sand and pea straw.