I think the issue you have is that unless you are after new potatoes (with loose skins) ANY potato will give you potatoes for weeks, our Dita were first ready to dig in August. and we are still digging them up fresh now and will do until there is a risk of the ground freezing. potatoes don't go off in the ground.
You don't need to plant a succession unless you want to only have new potatoes with unset skins. The British potatoes you buy all year round in the supermarket were harvested in one big go, stored and then sold over many months, that is how you get a succession of potatoes. I think @Dovefromabove has some lovely pictures of her brothers storage barns? (I think you had pics of potatoes? maybe it was onions though)
As others have said, main crop last virtually all year if grown and stored properly but, if you need earlies, I've found Kestrel good. For mains, whether bought or grown, it's always Desiree.
@NewBoy2 I personally wouldn't go to the effort of sheeting etc. I simply put half my potatoes in front of a tree line, and the other half a little way behind it. The dappled / partial shade from the tree slows the growth enough for me.
Others have said that main crop potatoes can be harvested in one go and stored long term. That's true for commercial growing certainly (see below) but I've never had any luck doing it at home. Leaving them in the ground for more than a few weeks means they start to suffer from the wet conditions and invites slugs. Harvesting and storing them doesn't keep them long term either, perhaps 8 to 10 weeks before they start to go over, especially as October can be unseasonably warm.
So for me, planting to stagger the ripening/harvesting over 6 to 8 weeks, then storing them as best I can, means I get fresh potatoes for the maximum period. If that's the "right" way to do it, I don't know, but it works for me!
Incidentally, part of the reason commercial growers can store and provide potatoes all year is because they are treated with a growth inhibitor, which stops the potato chitting and going soft from using up the potential energy within. That's why ideally potatoes should be grown from seed pots, not supermarket pots from the kitchen.
.... Incidentally, part of the reason commercial growers can store and provide potatoes all year is because they are treated with a growth inhibitor, which stops the potato chitting and going soft from using up the potential energy within. That's why ideally potatoes should be grown from seed pots, not supermarket pots from the kitchen.
Just to clarify, the growth (sprouting) inhibitor is no longer allowed to be used in the UK and the EU
Posts
That will increase my knowledge immensly and give me a few hours reading.
Shade.
All of the plot is in full sun.
Can I use some stakes and netting to shade the specific plants.
I dont want to be adding and removing them.
Am I lookong for a sheet that just lets some light through.
Others have said that main crop potatoes can be harvested in one go and stored long term. That's true for commercial growing certainly (see below) but I've never had any luck doing it at home. Leaving them in the ground for more than a few weeks means they start to suffer from the wet conditions and invites slugs. Harvesting and storing them doesn't keep them long term either, perhaps 8 to 10 weeks before they start to go over, especially as October can be unseasonably warm.
So for me, planting to stagger the ripening/harvesting over 6 to 8 weeks, then storing them as best I can, means I get fresh potatoes for the maximum period. If that's the "right" way to do it, I don't know, but it works for me!
Incidentally, part of the reason commercial growers can store and provide potatoes all year is because they are treated with a growth inhibitor, which stops the potato chitting and going soft from using up the potential energy within. That's why ideally potatoes should be grown from seed pots, not supermarket pots from the kitchen.
https://www.potatopro.com/news/2020/ahdb-warns-uk-potato-growers-not-use-cipc-2020-store-loading
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.