Want to plant potatoes now. Help please!!!

Farway

Plant as deep as you like [not 6 foot down of course]

When I had allotment I used to dig trench, heaping earth on both sides, plant in bottom of the trench, then use the sides to earth up as they grow

katskorner

I plant mine about 8 - 10 inches down and then pile up so there is at least foot of soil covering them from the start - then I don't end up needing to earth up much and they grow really well!

weezl74

Hiya, we've been given conflicting advice, so would love some help!

A garden centre said we were too late to put seed potatoes in for this year, but they are still for sale on ebay, and another website reckons we can plant them now.

Can anyone who's tried this late in the year please share their experience?

Many thanks!

Weezl x

MRSMCAWBER

Hi weezl

Im still setting potatoes.. they say give them 90 days and even tell you when to plant them so you have some for xmas.... only thing i can think of is that they were "earlies".....
But im planting potatoes i have sprutted from the supermarket... and im going to keep on setting them

pebbles88

hi Weezl,

i bought some that said i can plant them april to may, and i have just put some more in today in an other tub as i think i will get away with 2 days into june, i started first lot out in april and hopefully they will be ready soon.

its my first time growing them and the seed pots only cost me 99p so im just keeping my fingers crossed, the foliage from them looks lovely though so even if i got no pots im happy!!!:j

HTH

Lotus-eater

You can put them in, the biggest problem you have is blight, once you have it on potatoes, you've had it for that years growing them.
You are best starting them as early as possible so they have a long a growing period as possible before blight strikes and I can't remember hearing about many (or even any) gardens that don't have blight the last few years.
Of course if you have them under cover so the leaves don't get wet, you may get away with it.

pebbles88

Hiya,

What is 'Blight' please??

Lotus-eater

pebbles88 wrote: »

Hiya,

What is 'Blight' please??

Nasty nasty stuff

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0701/potato_blight.asp

pebbles88

Thank you very much, i will keep my eyes peeled for it!!!

madhouseof4

I hope it's not too late or my successional sowing of seed spuds that I put in over the weekend may as well come back up, lol! I do agree with the others about blight though. I was luck and because it was sooo mild by the end of Feb last year, I put them in. Then blight struck by june/july and after stalling for as long as I could by defoliating ect, had to dig up the entire lot, but got a decent sized crop as they they had been in for some time already.

I was late putting out this years seed spuds, didn't do it until nearly the end of april and have just had an email from blightwatch to say that my area is in full smith mode (most likely conditions for blight to strike or spread). I am debating a copper fungicide, but it kind of goes against my whole "natural, organic" gardening.

I wouldn't let it stop you from putting some in though, even if you only get a small crop before blight, they taste sooo good it will be worth it! I also plan on planting some for an xmas harvest, yum yum!