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Potatoes - where to start? (Merged Thread)

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  • Ettenna
    Ettenna Posts: 639 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Oh dear - I planted some potatoes today and just stuck them into pots at the top of the soil like I would any other plant.

    I think I'd better go and dig them up tomorrow and redo them starting at the bottom of the pot :)
  • BigDonut
    BigDonut Posts: 291 Forumite
    Not heard the term "earthing up" before.
    What does it mean?

    Is it the process of putting the potatoe at the bottom of a bot and just covering it with earth/compost and then repeating that process as shoots appear until the pot is full of compost?
  • MRSMCAWBER
    MRSMCAWBER Posts: 5,442 Forumite
    Hi bigdonut

    Thats pretty much what it is.. i set mine in about 3-4" of compost..once the shoots are about 4-6" tall throw more compost on until only about half are showing...i think they recomend that doing that 3 times get the optimum crop... but then you just have to watch to make sure no potatoes near the top sit in the sunlight as they will go green..
    If they are at the top and you have no more room to cover them with compost then using cardboard etc on top will keep out the light for you
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  • arkonite_babe
    arkonite_babe Posts: 7,366 Forumite
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    MOVING THREADS FOR BETTER RESPONSES

    Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL]
  • kazwookie
    kazwookie Posts: 14,266 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Well mine are growing well in compost bags which I rolled down and now am slowly rolling back up again!

    1 large pot as well, but not a lot showing in that one yet.

    Also have 2 'chitting' spuds left over as they just don't seem to be growing, I might get another pot and bung them in (sorry I mean plant carefully) and see what happens.
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  • 1jim
    1jim Posts: 2,683 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    how long can you keep planting poatoes for, I mean is it too late to chit a couple more for sucsessional (I know thats not spelt right) planting and if not when is the last time that you should plant
  • noonesperfect
    noonesperfect Posts: 1,831 Forumite
    Planting potatoes



    Seed tubers should be planted around late March for first earlies, early to mid-April for second earlies and mid- to late April for maincrops. This varies slightly depending on where you are in the country.
    :wave:
  • ~Chameleon~
    ~Chameleon~ Posts: 11,956 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Planting potatoes



    Seed tubers should be planted around late March for first earlies, early to mid-April for second earlies and mid- to late April for maincrops. This varies slightly depending on where you are in the country.

    Would it make a terrible difference in quality of crop if they were planted a month or so late? I've still got some chitting that I might be able to find room for this week so would rather plant and see rather than let them go to waste :confused:

    I think mine are main crop (cara and pink fir apple) but I also have some roosters that have chitted by themselves in the kitchen and not sure what type of crop they are.
    “You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.”
  • JWF
    JWF Posts: 363 Forumite
    Just bung them in the ground, you might get slightly smaller spuds and a smaller crop but if you've got the room and the seed potatoes already I'd recommend planting them.
    All I seem to hear is blah blah blah!
  • Newgirl_2
    Newgirl_2 Posts: 367 Forumite
    Debt-free and Proud!
    I am not a novice gardener but fairly new to home-grown veg. I've tried potatoes before and managed to get one batch or so just from putting sprouting Tesco-specials in a bag of compost. This year, we had a proper go and bought seed potatoes (I can't remember the varieties but they were earlies).

    I have always thought that you dug them up after flowering and, without my lovely late grandfather to ask, never thought any different. However... we have seen various programmes and magazine articles which seem to say that the potatoes will be there when the flowers appear. The just watched GW who mentioned after flowering. We are confused...

    Can anyone help? Do we root around in the bag and have a look yet (all are just flowering)? or do we leave them a bit?

    Any help appreciated

    Thanks

    Newgirl
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