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Early Potatoes
Ashdale
Posts: 149
in Fruit & veg
is it too early to plant early potatoes? When is everyone planting theirs. I am in Suffolk.
0
Posts
It is too early here in Yorkshire, even though the soil felt warm down to 3" earlier in the week we have now had a hard frost.
I grow in sacks and last year I sowed my 1st earlies on 10/3 but had to put them in the GH when we had a hard frost on 21/3 and it was -2C.
I come from Suffolk - when I lived there I planted early potatoes around the first week in April.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm on the south coast Hampshire and plant mine about now on a piece of land I prepared in the winter and covered with weed membrane remove this plant and just cover with a bit of old fleece until I see the first signs of growth.
Hi Ashdale you can look up the last frost date for your location online.
I get for Sudbury, Suffolk late April.
As one wouldn't expect a really hard frost, you are good to plant the seed spuds at least a week before in my opinion as no tops will be showing for a while. That puts you in mid or early April.
I'm in Essex, I'm planning to put them in the first or second week of April like Dove says.
Frost dates available here:
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/main/weather1.asp
I've put my first earlies in bags in the polytunnel last week. A bit early, but I can always nip up and throw some fleece over them if it's going to be really cold.
Hopefully not many more hard frosts in N Devon to come.
Good advice already given, but I would invest in a (very cheap) a garden thermometer.
Potatoes will rot in the ground if the soil is too cold...they need it to be 40f (about 5 I think, in celsius).
I use a soil thermometer. The earth warms up more slowly than the air. I've read that you should wait until the soil temperature is 10C before planting earlies, and that's what I do on my plot.
I checked the allotment a few days ago and the soil temperature was 7C (in the midst of that warm spell we had). I'm in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, so much farther north than you!
I will go for the end of this month if the weather stays the same as it is now, I was on the allotment today and was a pleased to find that the ground has dried out really well over the last week. I like to get things into the soil when the soil isn't too sticky and the weather is set fair this might only give a small window of opportunity as the weather may turn wet again preventing digging and planting. I'm not so worried about a slight frost as I will fleece the plants if it turns frosty when they start to show above ground in May.
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. As we have had many sunny, warm days in Suffolk recently, I have decided to risk a few in the ground straightaway. I have already planted a handful in bags under cover, and will save the rest for early April. That should spread the risk and increase the chances of an early crop.
Planted mine here in Tipperary last Saturday. Some under perspex cloche. others will have to be protected from frost till early May. hard work but worth it in June