Potatoes: Buying, Chitting, Planting, Earthing Up; Harvesting.

Sally_A

Grow what you love to eat berries, that is a good size, and a couple of rows of spuds will (hang on let me put that into old money as 45ft x 45 ft) accommodate 60 to 80 spuds easily, and only take away say 5ft of depth. (you need room to move and to earth up and dig up). so you could easily do first earlies, second earlies/early maincrop and a maincrop. Depending on where you are go for a blight resistant maincrop.

Spuds like manure ground, but more importantly they need water to swell, so also consider whether you grow them E - W or N - S to get the best free rainwater.

Leaves you a load of space to put a row of garlic in too - 1kg (approx 90 cloves) would take up one row, plant 6 inches apart, and a double row, again 6 inches apart. That's another full row used up and say 3 ft to allow for weeding room.

You are now only 8ft into a 45ft plot.:)

berries

Thank's Sally A- I've got another 15+ barrow loads to lay down then it's going to get harrow in for me by my loverly YO son!! He has done loads for me so far!!! I really need to sit down and draw out the beds or how many I would like. or what would fit etc. I would like to do some over winter onions I went to Dobbies today and couldnt see any Japaniess onions has some others there I cant rem the name now!! So havnt got any onions yet I do hope I don't run out of time to plant them!!

kinkyjinks

berries wrote: »

Thank's Sally A- I've got another 15+ barrow loads to lay down then it's going to get harrow in for me by my loverly YO son!! He has done loads for me so far!!! I really need to sit down and draw out the beds or how many I would like. or what would fit etc. I would like to do some over winter onions I went to Dobbies today and couldnt see any Japaniess onions has some others there I cant rem the name now!! So havnt got any onions yet I do hope I don't run out of time to plant them!!

I bought my onion sets from Wilkos, 50 or 60 for £2. I think they had 3 different types plus a mixture. I've planted 1 lot and am just clearing a space for my second lot. I'm in the E. Midlands and calculated today that there's about 9 'growing' weeks left so I think I've maybe got 2 weeks left to plant them.

berries

kinkyjinks wrote: »

I bought my onion sets from Wilkos, 50 or 60 for £2. I think they had 3 different types plus a mixture. I've planted 1 lot and am just clearing a space for my second lot. I'm in the E. Midlands and calculated today that there's about 9 'growing' weeks left so I think I've maybe got 2 weeks left to plant them.

God I hope I get it done in time time!!! I didnt see any in my wilkos will have to pop in and ask. Thanks.

sparrer

Planted the Swift today, if they're anything like as good as the Rockets I'll have a super crop of hg potatoes just in time for Christmas

Hope everyone's having success with their planting/harvesting.

Sally_A

Fingers crossed it works, I just chucked about 24 seed spuds into spare ground that I won't be needing until next spring. I'm not expecting mega-crops, but any new potatoes around the end of the year will be a bonus.

Sally_A

Well I think my late sown experimentals have died. Where there was a bit of healthy foliage, there is now nothing - they may try to grow again in spring, I'll leave them in the hope of some really earlies, but if i need the ground they will be dug up.

Anyhow, posting again now to remind you all to think about the varieties you want for 2012, and if they are the more unusual types to place your orders now for a January delivery.

sparrer

Sorry to hear that Sally. My Swift were slow to start, two of the ten in tubs didn't make it at all and one appeared half-heartedly a couple of weeks after the others. I plan to dig one up about 22nd Dec, if it's okay I'll give DD some as she's doing C'mas dinner.

Next year I think I'll go for Rocket again if the market man has them. Good value at £1.95 a kg and a very successful crop. Tasted amazing, wish I could capture the flavour and bottle it! I'm also going to experiment with just a couple of thickly peeled sprouting skins, if it works great, if not at least I had a (free) go

Sally_A

Just to let you all know that T&M have free P&P until midnight tonight. So this is a good time to buy hard to find varieties of seed spuds if you don't live near a specialist garden centre.

Personally, I'm only growing the "common" varieties this year, Charlotte, Sante, and have yet to choose a first early, so will probably buy these locally. These will tend to be stocked mid-late January.

The only downside with T&M is you are never sure when they are going to deliver, and I have in the past been pacing up and down late February, unsure if my spuds are on their way or not.

You can tell I've got Cabin Fever can't you! Am staring at the empty saved egg boxes I use for chitting.

pinkcandyflossprincess

i waited all summer for my strawberrys from t&M, thankfully i did get to eat some but hoping for a few more this year:o