No quitten we're whelan on to chitchat 11

Does anyone know whereabouts on agfood you can see the monthly breakdown of your stocking rate?

I remember seeing it before where it showed month by month how many cattle you had and a livetime stocking rate for the year....

Cant find it now?

It's something I never thought about tbh but it does make sense. I must go through the suckler cows and see what position theirs are as some of them have a more iffy/semi aggressive temperament than others.

I've a Saler bull for the first time, a neighbour breeds them. I was wary about temperament issues but I went to see them and talked to a few people beforehand. He's the quietest bull we ever had, and all his calves are quiet too. It makes life a bit easier.

I think I asked last year but does anyone do a couple of ridges of spuds for the house?

My 'earlys' went in Easter Sunday (latest ever) and maincrop this evening, also latest ever.

I used Solist for earlies and Sarpo Mira for main crop this year after trying about 5 varieties last season. These were the two that worked best. The Solist are smooth, big, perfect white potatoes like something you'd get in a shop and the Sarpo are red and blight resistant with a tasty yellowish flesh. They keep well too.

Veg next and again I'll be limiting it to what worked well last year - carrots were a disgrace, Peas very good, parsnips ok ish, nobody ate the swedes so feck them. Onion sets did fine until the rain came and then they bolted. Nothing at all from the spring onions.

Anyway, I'm probably talking to the wrong people, - more town people than farmers set a garden these days due to most of us being part time and running around with work and kids after school activities.

It's hard here to get the time too, I was watering vegetables (in a suit) at a quarter to 1 some nights last May with a headlight and every midge eating me, and most of the spuds were never earthed up, but I try to do it with the young lads so they'll know how even if I've to bate them out to help.

Any other madman or woman at it?

Yip & it's only goin one way year on year with the carbon tax

Spuds Paddy's day onwards. Veg late April to June. Any little corner is big enough, 8ft by 4ft would do fine to start with, - digging is tiring when you've a days work already done. It's very rewarding though. Grow whatever ye eat yerselves in the house if it'll grow in this country. Any proper garden centre (as opposed to the lifestyle/homestore/coffee/ type ones) will be able to suggest two or three basic plants. A bit of old cow dung and off you go.

A half hour once a week for would do a lot. There's great satisfaction in eating something you grew yourself. It's nearly better than having your own beef or lamb.

For carrots you need to mix several years of rotted farmyard manure into the soil plus turf mould or similar 🤔

small plot here. Usually planted at this stage but not this year. Will get them in over next while.

Thanks have a pedigree angus heifer we imported but she's a bit of a lunatic, wouldn't inflict her on anyone else, safer to factory her. She's calved about a month, feck all milk too