Looking back
Once the potato crop was planted, many farmers breathed a sigh of relief, although for others there was still more work to do. Those running mixed farming systems still had to get their fodder root crops sown and perhaps re-seed or undersow some grass. Factoring in the times when sugar beet was grown in Scotland and the replacement crops of vining peas, beans and field-scale vegetables, gives an idea of how busy spring could be.
Throughout April and into May, all of the other tasks, such as top dressing and spraying, went on alongside caring for breeding and feeding sheep and cattle. There was often a bit of a tidy up once potato planting was completed, with any big stones left by stone separators gathered from headlands and compacted or rough areas being cultivated to tidy them up. The chance was also taken to collect the empty seed and fertiliser bags.
Those who kept breeding sheep liked to grew a few mangolds for feeding after New Year. These tended to be sown in late April before the turnip crop. Time was taken to get them sown, even if other jobs were going on.
On easy-worked soils, one man could often work on his own to get some artificial fertiliser broadcast, then work it in to get a seedbed made with similar deep-cultivation equipment as that used for the potato crop. Much of the artificial fertilizer contained Boron to prevent some of the rots that
