Swindon Potato Day

Potato Day at Gorse Hill Community Centre opposite the Swiss Chalet pub, and down the road from Lidl's large car park was my first event of 2020. It's as though the gardeners have emerged from a long period of hibernation, and it's so good to meet up with friends at the potato day. It was brought to us again by Pennard Plants who this year excelled themselves in the number of potato varieties, fruit trees, garlic, seeds and lots of dahlia tubers. The visit is organised by the wonderful Swindon Allotment and Garden Association or SALGA. If you haven't yet joined, do click on this link, and find out how to do so. They hold monthly talks, trips, have a shop at Pickard's Field allotment site in Pinehurst Road AND you can get half price seeds from Kings through them.
I took a few photos to give an idea of the event:

 Firstly of course, the stars of the show, the potatoes. There are about 60 varieties, each one is described in detail, it might be a first early, found in lime green bucket, second early in a red bucket, main crop dark green and salad potatoes in blue buckets. Counting up potatoes I'd bought, I found I had 3 varieties of first early, 3 of second early, one early main, one main and a late main. The difference between potatoes is that the earlies are planted and harvested earlier than main crops. I've still got potatoes in the allotment, it became too wet to dig them up.

 Above is a general view of the layout of the room, nearest the camera are boxes of dahlia tubers.

Below some garlic. I like to plant mine in October, so didn't buy any.

 Below, these are pots of rhubarb. I love it, but it tends to grow very large quite quickly, so best on the allotment.

And here's a poor shot of the fruit trees:

I was a bit late arriving at potato day because of a puncture, and so missed Jim and Brian. I had hoped to let them know we are holding Growers' Drinks on the second Sunday of the month, starting in February, in the Beehive top bar, starting at 7.30pm.