Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

mrbadexample

djohn2002uk wrote: »

I always pull them up and discard them. They are never productive enough to be any use unless you left any large ones in the ground last year, and if you did then you need to get better at harvesting spuds, 'cos you could have wasted a meal there. If they aren't from ones you left in the ground then they are from peelings from your compost with eyes in.

Cheers. Makes it easier to pull them up if they won't be much good. I was fairly sure I'd got all the spuds out but I could quite easily have missed a small one. Or two.

Sambucus_Nigra

djohn2002uk wrote: »

I always pull them up and discard them. They are never productive enough to be any use unless you left any large ones in the ground last year, and if you did then you need to get better at harvesting spuds, 'cos you could have wasted a meal there. If they aren't from ones you left in the ground then they are from peelings from your compost with eyes in.

I always leave them in and get a bigger meal later in the year. In fact, in one bed at home - I put purple potatoes in once, 5 years ago [i know this as that's when we bought this house] and every year since, have had purple potatoes harvested for free late summer once all the things growing in that bed have been also harvested [usually rare French beans that I'm trying to bulk up].

Fay

POTATO...sorry I couldn't help it. Your last picture with potato, potato, potato made me think of that high pitched voice saying POTATO!
I don'r really have anything more to add as I have been stuck in work all week and the weather is still surprisingly rainy!

annie123

mrbadexample wrote: »

I was fairly sure I'd got all the spuds out but I could quite easily have missed a small one. Or two.

Or 9! I think it's peelings too and I also stopped doing it as I got the same problem as you.

Who ever suggested a couple of hot baths was right! had one yesterday morning and decided *sod it* I'm having one tonight as well, and my lower back and arm muscles felt sooooo much better for it. Just a little back ache left in the shoulder blade area today but it's not painful:)

Was brave last night as temps here not going lower than 11c so added fleece to 99p store poly tunnel and left them to it.........and this morning they're still there and seem fine:j I even left some of the peppers in there too and except for a few holes:mad: they're OK too.

Unfortunatly I left my dwarf French beans out, didn't mean too and the stalks look bolt upright and fine this morning, shame they don't have any leaves left:mad: my own fault.
This weekend I will copper tape some flower buckets and sow some more direct, well, I will if it stops raining long enough:(

Slugs/snails also had a major go at one of my potatoes, unfortunately I din't label them:mad: got just stalks left on a few of them, those ones will be up first, might have some very small potatoes this year.

Feel sorry for anyone who is just trying grow your own for the first time as it's been a real PIA start to the season.

aliasojo

Fay wrote: »

POTATO...sorry I couldn't help it. Your last picture with potato, potato, potato made me think of that high pitched voice saying POTATO!

My daughter has that 'potato' voice as a ringtone on her phone. It's very annoying.

Been raining solidly here all morning and is forecast to continue.

My spuds are in bags and seem to be growing very slowly. Poor blighters need the sun. As do I.

mrbadexample

aliasojo wrote: »

My daughter has that 'potato' voice as a ringtone on her phone. It's very annoying.

I have absolutely no idea what you're on about. I suspect this is a good thing. Off to Cornwall now for beer and rugby - back Sunday. I really don't want to, but everything's coming in as we've got pretty low temperatures forecast.

So here's a photo of my Wenk's Yellow Hot chilli being particularly precocious to keep you amused while I'm gone:



Later. :wave:

Lemon...you know the score.

annie123

Have a safe journey

Drea

Things were looking up after a couple days sun, now the plants are back to soggy miserable looking things. My toms have grown too big for the mini greenhouse as they are hitting the top shelves, not sure what to do, they wouldn't make it outside so might have to bring them in but have a lack of places they'd see any sun! Still no sign of anything but leaves on them though.

jammy_dodger

not sure what your mini greenhouse looks like drea but is there any way you could raise t on something like bricks
and if weather forecast really poor provide some wind protection at the bottom openning with cardboard or fleece ?
my poor beans have had to go outside i really dont hold out much hope so am sowing more but have made a thick fleece windbreak and tent about them to give em a chance , theyve only been out one nght but are loooking ok so far grateful to be twining about the canes i guess

best of luck

Drea

jammy_dodger wrote: »

not sure what your mini greenhouse looks like drea but is there any way you could raise t on something like bricks
and if weather forecast really poor provide some wind protection at the bottom openning with cardboard or fleece ?
my poor beans have had to go outside i really dont hold out much hope so am sowing more but have made a thick fleece windbreak and tent about them to give em a chance , theyve only been out one nght but are loooking ok so far grateful to be twining about the canes i guess

best of luck

I'm not sure, I'll have a look tomorrow and see if there's anything I can do, that might work to make more space in the bottom. The problem is I can't remove shelves as I have the strawbs in huge grow bags on them! Ah well, I've learnt for next time I suppose

Life would be a lot easier without all the wind and rain! Still, my tatties seem to love it