True Survivors

Wednesday was the best day we've had for ages with some long sunny spells and just a gentle breeze it felt almost warm. The temperature managed to reach 12.2°C making it the mildest day of the month.

I visited my friend Graham in the afternoon. He too grows some of his own vegetables and last year he grew some Winston potatoes. Unfortunately he hadn't been able to harvest all his Winston’s last autumn and a few roots had been left in the ground all winter. With an improvement in the weather this week Graham decided to clear away last year’s crop but much to his surprise the potatoes hadn't rotted away despite all the rain and snow.

Some potatoes had suffered from slug damage so were discarded but he was left this these potatoes from the couple of roots he dug up.

The potatoes scrubbed up really well and looked as good if not better than the ones on sale in the local supermarket. Graham reckoned that they tasted better too.

As Winston seed potatoes are sold as a first early variety I think it’s amazing that they've stood up to all that this winter has had to offer. It’s also interesting to note that the tubers haven’t made any new shoots yet even after being left in the ground to their own devices. This might well indicate that here in Yorkshire at least there won’t have been much benefit in planting potatoes before now as they've probably made no effort to grow in the cold ground.

Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett