A Story about the Benefits and the Heartache of Potash

I simply know that Potash is great for you Strawberry plants (fruit bearing plants in general) and it is highly recommended that we get out there and give them a good feed of the stuff. I learnt that off the gardening calendar in the kitchen. However, I have since looked at Andi Clevely's book 'The Allotment Book ' (good title: concise) and a RHS 'Essential Gardening Techniques' book to find out why.

The Science is simple my friends ~ Potash (K2O) contains Potassium which boosts nitrogen making the plant stronger, hardier and more resistant to disease. It also helps make the yield greater and the plant doesn't get yellowing of the leaves. Okay, it's probably more difficult than that but I like to know the basics and then let Andrew (who reads all the books there are) tell when and where to put it out. For instance we were meant to put some in with the broad beans I planted out on Sunday, but forgot and it would have all just blown away anyway. (But, I hear me cry, broad beans aren't fruit, they're veg! See not so easy.)

Ah, the joy of Potash this year was that we made a large bag of our own. Down in Fermanagh we had the loveliest wood burning stove and used it everyday (Andrew is a bit of a pyromaniac - it's under control though, don't fear), saving up the ash to take home for our Lottie. Here is were the heartache of this story comes in. Yesterday, in his haste to facilitate a lift for some colleagues over to a meeting in the Titanic Quarter, he threw out said bag of glorious Potash. It's gone, for good, in the bin of all places ~ what good will it do there?? The Lottie is miles away from that blasted bin in Belfast. I was tempted to make him go back and get it but it'll be gone now, forever out of reach; our special bag of holiday fire ash.

Yes, anyway, Potash; organic (sometimes very easy to get hold off!) and what some of your plants are crying out for.

The End.