well i just bought a box of them as seed pototoes,didnt see them fully grown- this variety is meant to not last long,any comments on this? also, they have been chitting for about 4 weeks and sprouts are about 1/3 inch long, is this normal?
Belle de Fontenay is a old salad variety and so it won't get huge whatever you do with it!. Having said that you will get some larger tubers. I've never grown it - although the flavour is supposed to be very good - I always seem to come back to Charlotte year after year. Let the shoots grow a bit longer - I usually like them to be about 1/2 inch long although some let them grow on to an inch long but I worry about knocking the sprouts off if they're too big.
i also planted the variety "kestrel" as well, i bought them very well chitted, sprouts (or plants!) were about 10-15cm long. how long will these take to come up? also any info on the variety??
How long will 'Kestrel' take to come up? How long is a piece of string! It depends as much as anything how moist/wet the soil is when they're planted: how deep: soil type etc., and the weather following planting. Obviously if the soil is v. moist (and therefore usually cold), it takes longer to warm up and for the shoots to show through. Be patient! - and, as most potatoes have 2/3/4 'eyes', even if you break off the most forward shoot, the others will come through OK, but later. Good luck! - and hope for sunshine! Re 'Kestrel' -- Can't help with the variety -- I grow only Charlotte/Ditta/Wilja and Desiree; Covers all our needs!
Water spuds? Rarely, but it depends on your soil (sandy/clay/rich loam), and where you are.If the weather is bone-dry for 3 weeks or so, and you have plenty of water to hand, by all means do.I'm in Norfolk: dry part of the Country, but the last time I remember watering was 1959, and even the they didn't get much. That Summer was so dry that end of June I had to deepen the well for drinking water! In general I'm not in favour of watering at all (except to 'settle' a plant when planting-out, or it's vital to save a crop). If you DONT water, a plant will go down looking for moisture and generally look after itself.That's nature!. If you DO water, the roots will tend to be shallow - OK until the long, hot weekend when you go away, and find on Monday that everything looks very poorly. Again, GOOD LUCK! -- and keep an eye on what the 'old boys' are doing. Nothing's better than getting info. from your allotment neighbours - they may not tell you EVERYTHING!!,but their experience is often priceless .
for ' new allotment person' --- Forgot to ask (out of interest, and relevant to your query re. potatoes) Where are you (County), what is your allotment soil?
--- further West, and a bit damper than here, I reckon. You'll probably get away without watering if this Summer follows the trend of the last few years. [Having written that, we'll probably have the driest Summer in living memory ------] As I said before -- watch what the "old boys" are doing! If they weren't successful they wouldn't still be gardening. Another useful tip -- use a weedkiller, regularly! Of course I mean the steel blade on the end of a long wooden handle, not the stuff in a bottle. If the soil is kept "open" it doesn't lose much water. It may LOOK dry, but hoeing reduces water loss. Hoeing is good. I was always told "Always hoe where there's no weeds, and you'll never get any" - and weeds use water too! Good Luck.
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also any info on the variety??
How long is a piece of string! It depends as much as anything how moist/wet the soil is when they're planted: how deep: soil type etc., and the weather following planting.
Obviously if the soil is v. moist (and therefore usually cold), it takes longer to warm up and for the shoots to show through. Be patient! - and, as most potatoes have 2/3/4 'eyes', even if you break off the most forward shoot, the others will come through OK, but later.
Good luck! - and hope for sunshine!
Re 'Kestrel' -- Can't help with the variety -- I grow only Charlotte/Ditta/Wilja and Desiree; Covers all our needs!
i am a first time grower you know!
how frequantly do 'tatties need watering?
In general I'm not in favour of watering at all (except to 'settle' a plant when planting-out, or it's vital to save a crop). If you DONT water, a plant will go down looking for moisture and generally look after itself.That's nature!. If you DO water, the roots will tend to be shallow - OK until the long, hot weekend when you go away, and find on Monday that everything looks very poorly.
Again, GOOD LUCK! -- and keep an eye on what the 'old boys' are doing. Nothing's better than getting info. from your allotment neighbours - they may not tell you EVERYTHING!!,but their experience is often priceless .
Forgot to ask (out of interest, and relevant to your query re. potatoes)
Where are you (County), what is your allotment soil?
[Having written that, we'll probably have the driest Summer in living memory ------]
As I said before -- watch what the "old boys" are doing! If they weren't successful they wouldn't still be gardening. Another useful tip -- use a weedkiller, regularly! Of course I mean the steel blade on the end of a long wooden handle, not the stuff in a bottle. If the soil is kept "open" it doesn't lose much water. It may LOOK dry, but hoeing reduces water loss. Hoeing is good. I was always told "Always hoe where there's no weeds, and you'll never get any" - and weeds use water too!
Good Luck.
does frequent hoeing really prevent weeds?????