My Empire Expands.

I have been politely but persistently badgering the local council for several months in the hope of adding to my plot. Well after shed loads of calls, emails and finally a choice argument with the man who runs the show I have finally got another third/starter plot which completes a 10 rod strip.

10 rods is a pretty large area. I'd say it was the about the size of a public swimming pool. That’s about 2700 square foot or approximately 250 square metres.

The previous tenants were scumbag’s. I'm over the moon that they have been given their termination as I didn't like my kids having to see them. They would only occasionally turn up and waste no time in opening a bottle of lambrusco and several cans of lager. Shout at each other, roll around the ground a bit pulling out couch grass strand by strand, shout at their kids, open another bottle of lambrusco and several more tinnies and finally pack up the kids in their car pissed, and drive home, most likely via the off license to spend their benefits on cheap wine and craggy over strength lager. You would have had to have met them to fully appreciate the quality of scumbag I am talking about.

I felt sorry for the kids, they were both under ten and you could just see they were innocent enough but their dirty mouthed alcoholic parents were rubbing off on them - as I said poor kids.

As you can imagine the new third of my plot hasn't been cultivated and will present quite a challenge. If only I had it during the summer months I could have had a chance of doing something about it. Better late than never, now I will have a good go at it tomorrow as long as it doesn’t snow. I will be up at the crack of dawn wrapped up warm with a pot of coffee armed with an old lawn mower to cut it all down to size.

I'm going to use most if this new area for spuds next year. Borough Market in London sells heritage potatoes. Does anybody know if you can use market bought potatoes for seed? I'm aware that it’s not recommended but some of the varieties they sell are not readily available through seed suppliers and would like to give some of them a go. When should I buy them to begin the chitting process?