New potatoes for christmas?

Lord_Gardener

ampersand wrote: »

Have always wanted to do this and am reading conflicting advice(as so often with matters jardin).
I intend using an old aluminium dustbin unless told 'NO!'
All advice would be welcome - thankyou.
(Would love to do Nadine, to my mind the loveliest potato around.)
Have previously grown taties in garden using sprouty leftovers - probably these will take too long to reach this stage now?)

It's fine to use a dustbin - we use a couple of old plastic dustbins which have drainage holes and are filled with compost. We pop in 5 or 6 potatoes and leave them to it! The children love to explore the compost for the resultant crop!!

ampersand

Lord_Gardener wrote: »

It's fine to use a dustbin - we use a couple of old plastic dustbins which have drainage holes and are filled with compost. We pop in 5 or 6 potatoes and leave them to it! The children love to explore the compost for the resultant crop!!

Thankyou for this - was wondering how many per bin, and will certainly find another container, so as to do 2 lots. I yesterday cut the various triffids and the portions are sitting outside in egg cartons. They already look securely green/maroon dry, as I always decant them into dark cloth bag and keep this in sheltered outside basket.

rev229

Saw something the other day about growing potatos for christmas but can't find any seed potatos anywhere. Does anyone know where I might find some. Thanks

katskorner

seed pots are not generally available this time of year. it is worth checking with DT Brown and Thompson & Morgan as they may have some. Personally I would save a couple from home and plant those.

Farway

rev229 wrote: »

Saw something the other day about growing potatos for christmas but can't find any seed potatos anywhere. Does anyone know where I might find some. Thanks

There was a full discussion on this just the other day, and seed spuds not required, use a nice tasty variety from supermarket

All details here

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=514224

Dustykitten

Do you need to do them in a pot? Will the soil be too cold?

madhouseof4

What about using the taties I grew this year? I had to dig them up earlier as the plants were infected with blight but the taties are ok.

Hmmm, maybe I will just run to Lidl and get some from there, sounds a safer bet somehow.

ampersand

Have had extra bins offered on Freecycle, from person whose Studio Pottery books I happily, passionately collected recently and from someone with whom a good acquaintance has grown via Freecycling my compost bin last year.
Small GOOD green world.
Thankyou all - don't know about cold soil dustykitten. Do you mean they'll be even colder in pots, or in ground?
For Christmas taties, I thought the whole idea was to do them in bins, large pots et al.

Farway

Dustykitten wrote: »

Do you need to do them in a pot? Will the soil be too cold?

You need them in pots, because as winter approaches the soil will get cold & wet & your spuds will rot, or get yomped by slugs

In large pot . dustbin etc the idea is to keep them protected once the leaves die back & before frost arrives, like in cold greenhouse, conservatory, against a sheltered wall, in garage etc

The leaves will die back October / November depending on weather

barmaid

Hi - having read the thread - I am determined that I will have xmas tatties! I have decided to go to lidl and pick up some charlotte and a black plastic bin and compost. My question is how much compost to put in before adding my sprouters? The bin will be outside in my garden - will this be ok?

Thanks