Potatoes - where to start? (Merged Thread)

Jnelhams

If you had room for Chickens (Eglu) http://www.omlet.co.uk/homepage/homepage.php

The Chickens would quickly despatch the Slugs and Snails, nice fresh eggs too of course.

Failing that make sure you dig the ground deeply to allow frost to kill Slug eggs, and also you used to be allowed to water the ground with Jeyes fluid (1-2 caps in a 2 gallon can) but of course, that is against E.U. regulations now....

stas4949

thank you to you all for such helpful advice.

Will try some of the slug resistant varieties in the ground aswell.

I already have 4 lovely chickens, trouble is when I let them out they tend to wreck the whole garden!

mant thanks again

vivaladiva

loumac wrote:

How do you house a rescued hedgehog? I've just acquired an allotment and this seems like a nice idea!

I heard about this last year and I'd like to know too!

katskorner

Go for slug resistant varieties like Kestral (second early). I always grow that one as the slugs hate it. I also did pretty well with Pentland Javelin and Charlotte last year too. Thompson & Morgan have good info in thier catalogues but you don't have to buy from them - get your info and head off to your local allotment association or garden centre where you should get decent enough prices. Garden centres are charging around £3.49 for a 3.5kg bag this year and my allotment association is about a £1 cheaper.

Jnelhams

One to remember, DO NOT USE LIME! Potatoes hate soil that has had Lime added to it, whilst it makes Clay soils easier to dig, and kills a number of soil pests, it will ruin your Potatoes, not to mention any Camelias / Heathers etc nearby.

throwa

stas4949 wrote:

Hi All

Am a fairly new veg gardener (in my 2nd year) and would like some advice on growing potatoes.

I tried them last year in my veggie patch but all the potatoes had holes in them! Would it be better to grow them in a pot or something.

tips and ideas appreciated

many thanks in advance

Are they small holes? Was the ground previously cultivated in your veggie patch?: If not then it sounds like it could be wireworm to me...

If this is the case, the first unhappy crop will have cleared the ground of the wireworm and you won't get the holes in the second batch of potatoes.

Hope that between your slug advice and this you get some nice potatoes this year - nothing beats home grown spuds in my opinion!

Penelope_Penguin

throwa wrote:

Are they small holes? Was the ground previously cultivated in your veggie patch?: If not then it sounds like it could be wireworm to me...

If this is the case, the first unhappy crop will have cleared the ground of the wireworm and you won't get the holes in the second batch of potatoes.

Hope that between your slug advice and this you get some nice potatoes this year - nothing beats home grown spuds in my opinion!

When we moved to this garden, we were told dreadful stories about "the Worm" from other gardeners. I'd been led to believe it was *eel worm* and I now grow resistant varieties, and dig the plants when they're ready.

Will see if I can find anything with Google.

Edit: think I may have been misled. Take a look at this Factsheet.

Penny. x

angelavdavis

Have only ever found minute slugs in my potatoes - avoid adding manure to beds where you plan to plant potatoes.

soba

I've bought some seed potatoes from Wilkinsons, a big bag of Pentland Javelin (I think). I've got some in egg boxes on the window sill, but still loads in the bag just wating....
Do I plant them all at the same time, or can they be planted a few weeks apart so they don't all need using at the same time? Also, does each one of the 'chits' produce a potato? And if they all need harvesting at the same time, what do I do with them?
As you can see I'm a novice gardener!!

emmaroids

hey there
from one novice to another

you can stagger the planting if you want.

each seed potatoe will produce a root were any number of tubers (spuds) will grow on them (depends on a lot of things).

if there all up at the same time they can be stored in a cool dry place in sacks were they will keep for months, any broken spuds should be discarded so they dont rot.