Our big news this week is that the Edible Gardening Project has received more funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery. They held their annual charity gala event at RBGE this week and announced lots of other lucky winners too. Follow the link for more information.

The extra grant will allow us to continue the project for another year, and of course we are extremely excited about this. It means that we will be able to put loads more work into our veggies in the demonstration area at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, as well as work more with volunteers and the garden visitors. So you will continue to see our lovely volunteers (pictured) about the place.

We also found out that we have received a grant from the Botanic Garden Conservation International to help us with the project too. This will enable us to spend more time working with local community groups. Keep an eye on the blog for more news on this soon.

On the gardening front we ordered our potatoes this week. After much deliberation we have decided on Kestrel, which has the bonus of good slug resistance. Remarka, an ideal choice for the organic gardener as it has good disease resistance. Pink Fir Apple, a curious knobbly beast which is impossible to peel but my favourite as it is utterly delicious. And finally Swift, an early potato ideal for growing in pots.

We hope to have them in the ground around mid-April but can delay until May if weather is bad. We will chit them first. This mysterious term simply refers to the process of allowing seed potatoes to form shoots before planting. It is usual to chit the potatoes for 4-6 weeks, dependent on the weather (and when they arrive in the post!). We will pop them in a tray (egg cartons are perfect) in a cool place away from danger of frost. Somewhere light will discourage weak leggy shoots, but out of direct sunlight is best.