He looked so lonely there through the gateway..........

[Footsfitter]

Well thats what I thought yesterday morning as I pulled out of the gateway at Manor Farm, Monk Sherborne, there across the road through the gate to Home Field was the advance worker for Janaway's spud planting gang, or so I thought!







Crossing the road and driving into the field revealed this lot!











For those interested, heres more

[Footsfitter]

[Footsfitter]

[Footsfitter]

[Big Vern]

Thanks pete, I was getting all "lonely " down here,, haven't planted a spud in anger for 6 days we've finished,, land looks very dry,, do the irrigate?? What's the end market do you know,, pre pac, chips, proscessing?? Can never get me head round folk growing spuds on chalk down land,, always seems to me it would be too stoney,,,
great pics though, he'll of a team,,

[Footsfitter]

Thanks pete, I was getting all "lonely " down here,, haven't planted a spud in anger for 6 days we've finished,, land looks very dry,, do the irrigate?? What's the end market do you know,, pre pac, chips, proscessing?? Can never get me head round folk growing spuds on chalk down land,, always seems to me it would be too stoney,,,
great pics though, he'll of a team,,

Well I gave you a shout when we were on top of the quantocks the weekend before last!

That field and the rest with it on the north side of the A339 is Thames waters area and is un-irrigated. That actual valley is nearly the end of the chalk downs and in 35 years I've seen the underlying spring flood 3 times about 300yds to the right. Thames take water out of boreholes around the area to supply the town and turned down the farm application for a borehole to irrigate spuds and lettuce because of it.

The other half of the fields for that farm are across/south of the A339 (national ploughing championships held there 2 years ago) and are Wessex waters domain, they also take water out to supply the town and south of the area from the same downland valleys. When Thames said no, the late boss applied to wessex who said "no problem, just send a cheque!" So thats where we have the borehole and underground main for irrigating.

They have grown spuds on the dry side before, a case of getting fresh ground I think? Foots last grew there before I started in 81 so it had had a fair break. IIRC when we grew spuds they used to say that the chalky soils reduced scab with the right varieties? and I think Janaways have in the past obviously used those that can manage dry better.

We think their total acreage is around 1800-2000 over a wide area of north & mid Hampshire and a bit of Surrey. used to be mainly for McCains and Walkers and also bagging for sale in their swish farm shop.

Stones used to be a right bugger with the old kit when we did it. The scots from Elbar with their soil preperator-planter we had were used to round pebbles- these knobbly flint things were a different ballgame to them!!

[Big Vern]

Cheers mate always nice to know who's doing what in another area,, must of missed you when u where n the dark hills,,, we were flat our doing spuds
if most of their spuds are for chips n processing the skin finish won't matter, t 2000 acs of spuds is a tidy few it's true,,, their sprayer man must live in the cab when they are up to keep on top the blight pressure,,