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Potato Planting Spacing's.

NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813
in Fruit & veg
In the past I have just "chucked a few spuds in" and not really worried how big they were or their quality  but now I am growing them to give to a charity so I want to do it right.

Ist earlies     Maris Baird
2nd earlies   Nicola
Main            Desiree
Main            Sante

I usually just dig a hole and space them 12" apart.

DOES THE SPACING REALLY MATTER TO YIELD OR QUALITY

WHAT TO ADD TO THE HOLES.

Experiences please
Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.

Posts

  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    edited January 2021
    Yes it does sort of matter. At close spacing - and 12" is quite close - they take longer to get bigger. Provided there's enough food and water, they will still get bigger. So the logic usually goes you plant 1st earlies closer because you can, because you'll dig them up when they are quite small. If you leave them in longer, and if they don't get blight, some of them do end up as big as a maincrop spud eventually. But you get fewer per plant so you end up with lots of babies that become next year's volunteers (because you can't find them) and a few bigger ones.
    My potato beds are about 3ft x 4ft and I'll put 9 or 12 1st earlies in there (so at 12" spacing, give or take) but only 6 maincrops. The mains will develop as many potatoes as the earlies but they will all be good, peelable size
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Oh and I tend to mulch the potato beds with manure around Valentine's day and then plant the spuds without anything else in the hole in early April. The manure is part of my rotation anyway, as the spuds go in where the root veg come out. 
    It mostly seems to work, if they don't get blight and if it rains enough and if we don't have a late frost and if - as last year - the blinkin' voles don't eat every single sprout as it emerges
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    12 inches is fine for everything but bakers those I would spread out to 18 if you want big potatoes. I personally put compost at the bottom of the hole under the potato. it seems to work.
    My very early potatoes which grow in the polly tunnels are planted even closer together at 10 inches or so. because they get dug up so early they don't need the extra space, and because space in the tunnel is limited.
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    I find 12" ok for 1st & 2 nd earlies but I leave 2ft between the rows. 18" between tubers in the rows for the late ones. I have  plenty of space on Allotments, though so by having room to widen the rows they have plenty of room. 
    AB Still learning

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