Sorry, more potato questions

Furny

Thanks so far, do you need special potato fertiliser then?multi purpose won't do?

chrisaj

potash is the basis of spud fertiliser, it's got the right amount of nutrients needed for the crop.

Furny

thanks,thats helps. I have some of that.

chrisaj

you're welcome

Sally_A

You need to chit in a frost free, light area. If the long white shoots have not depleted the spud too much you should be able to salvage the seed potato.

For optimum return you are looking for 4 - 6 healthy greeny purply chits, low growing not on stalks.

Dave101t

i used normal potatoes and waited for them to go off. put them in a big bucket (well one of those expandable garden waste bags which is barrel shaped) and left them well alone.
they grew wonderfully, tho when harvested (mid december) they were small. i got around 20-30 potatoes tho, all off just 3 potatoes.

Sally_A

But when did you plant them Dave?

Big hopes of new potatoes for the Christmas dinner tend to result in yields of only about a third of the optimum harvest period of June.

Ideally, spuds get planted around St Patrick's Day, I try to get my earlies in then, but ground preparation may mean the 2nd earlies and maincrops are a couple of weeks later. The first earlies take about 13 weeks before I have a furtive dig, and even when I harvest my fisrt lot, I know I've been a bit too quick, but the taste of your own grown with a big lump of butter. If you leave 1st earlies for 16 weeks you'd get a better yield, but hey 3 weeks early and earthy sweet golden nuggets of spudness is worth it

Dave101t

i just planted them randomly, ignoring all advice. probably last autumn, or august. i do remember the terrible winds destroyed all the foliage!
im staggering the planting this year, a few crops, all a month or so apart.