This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Too late to plant potatoes?
![[Deleted User]](images/f9b091819fdea9924dd0cc9fa8755213.svg)
[Deleted User]
Posts: 0
in Fruit & veg
I still have some (very well chitted) potatoes to plant and just havnt got around to it?! Are these too late to plant now or will the quality be rubbish. They are a little shivelled but not too bad. I have earlies, second earlies & main crop
0
Posts
We haven't got ours in yet either
A A Milne
Cheers - I will try to get them in in the next hour!
If your spuds have short purple growths they should be ok but if the growths are long, white and spindly you will struggle to cover them without breaking the growth.
In the latter case, white and spindly, if you can still purchase seed spuds from a local GC, I'd get new one's. These can go straight in the ground and will produce a later crop.
You take your chances, they may produce a good crop but don't be disappointed if they don't, view it as a learning curve
.
Thanks Zoomer44!
They were purple growths luckily...I have managed to plant them all out over the last couple of days. I have some in bags and some in the ground, its the first time I have grow any so not sure what the results will be like. Not sure if I have prepared the soil properly either so is there something I could do to make it better or is it too late now? Should I put rotted manure on?
Now I need to start on my tomatoes!!
Some sources suggest to feed potatoes once a fortnight, I just got some stuff that said it was suitable for potatoes and use it about once in blue moon.... I am aiming for once a fortnight though....
Some pelleted stuff from homebase that says potato feed on the front of the box - it may not be good/best but I opted to trust the big claim on the box. I'm sure someone else can advise something better
It needs watering in well, and may not actually be suitable for regular feeding.
Sorry for not getting back sooner - Mooresthemerrier.
I did grow spuds in bags and was never disappointed. Grown them in the ground for past 2yrs. Spuds like seaweed which can be mixed in with the compost if planting in bags or put in the bottom of the trench if planting in the ground. All my 1st/2nd earlies flowered last year, not sure if it was the varieties or the seaweed.
If you can get seaweed, it makes a good mulch as you earth up or can simply be scattered on top of the ridge of your spuds.
I grow my potatoes in big tubs, easier to harvest and far less soil pest problems.. Get your chitted potatoes in asap cos you are late, they just won't be as large...