Talkback: Growing early potatoes

Posts

• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  March 2009

  Couldn't agree more about organic supermarket spuds from abroad. Maybe there just aren't enough locally produced ones to go around? It seems strange, as if stored properly (dark, cool, dry) our home grown organic potatoes last well into the spring. We're now down to the last pink fir apple, which are as good as they day they were lifted in October.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  March 2009

  Hi,
  I fully agree with about importing pots from other country's - NOT necessary.
  I prepared the ground in Dec - weeded,double dug,covered with 2 layers of bubble wrap and then covered the area with a poly tunnel - on Jan 19th I planted (at a depth of 6-8")5 Rockets and 5 Pentland Javelin - un-chitted and at the same time started to chit Rocket,Pent Jav,Swift,foremost,Maris Bard,Nadine and Charlotte all of which except the Charlotte's I planted out on Mon 2nd of March.I know it sounds very early but its only my 2nd year of growing all my own veg.(just planted a cherry and plum tree - espalier style - very small garden !

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  March 2009

  Forgot to add - purchased your
  ' Garden Problem Solver ' book a few months ago and just wanted to say...its fantastic,so informative and its been a real big help to me in understanding so much - thanx.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  March 2009

  An MSc in ‘Crop Protection’. Well now I've heard it all!
  

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  March 2009

  I am going to plant my potatoes into my planters from Dobies, They are brilliant for growing spuds, good results last year,I will plant them up tomorrow and keep them in the warm like I did last year

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  March 2009

  I tried the potato planters last year for the first time too - a special offer in GW magazine - and had great success. This year I've got a fourth planter and will plant some in the new raised bed too. We've just got charlotte seed potatoes cos the 3 of us prefer salad types - is it too early to plant them out in central Scotland? Still getting some sharp frosts.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  March 2009

  We have the ritual in our family of planting our spuds on Good Friday (this year on April 10th).
  We then go back to the allotment on Easter Sunday for an egg hunt. Fortunately the kids don't find all the chocolate so there is something left for my next visit.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  March 2009

  Like a good Irishman I will plant my spuds on the 17th March

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  March 2009

  OOOOOHHHH I planted my potatoes a few days ago (well more like... erm... a week or so ago - sorry a few weeks ago) and they are growing like MAD! There are big green shoots popping out of the pots and it's very exciting. Plus, I planted them in much too small pots anyway, but they seem to thrive! And they also appear to grow better when you just leave them to do their own thing rather than doing anything special to them... they will probably grow potatoes about 2 cm long but what the heck.
  
  Also, a great way to grow MASSIVE potatoes, is to put them in shallow soil so you can see a little bit of the top of them, and put a bin liner over the top with a few holes in for the shoots. When they are ready there will be flipping enormous potatoes, ready to eat!!!!!! (that's good advice, that is!)

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  March 2009

  angelofthewest. You are right about the bin liners, just as long as the slugs and sails don't find out!
  

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