The first of the snowdrops are up, my daffodils are romping away – I can almost believe that spring will actually arrive. But it’s the seed potatoes that are really firing me up.
I can’t resist buying seed potatoes, and have bought three batches already. Top of my list was my favourite variety, ‘Charlotte’, is one of the best-tasting, most delightfully textured potatoes available. I simply can’t do without it.
Then, out of sheer curiosity I purchased a couple of packets of seed potatoes from my local 99p shop. It doesn’t do to be snooty, after all. They are tiny, but seem healthy enough. It will be fascinating to see how abundantly they crop.
Finally, I found a garden centre selling Scottish, certified seed potatoes loose, by the kilogram. Heaven! So, of course, I left the garden centre laden with bags. I wish more garden centres would sell them like this. I bought just the right amount to fit the rows on my plot, and chose just the best-looking tubers.
The weather is still cold, so I will drape my trays of seed potatoes with mesh and fleece to minimise the risk of frost damage. But I daresay I’ll buy more in the coming weeks – it’s a kind of addiction with me…
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I have got fourty tubers so far, twenty of swift and twenty of kestrel, so i am hoping i have made the right choice, but i want to get more depending on the space permitting, the variety rocket was successful last year so i am tryin these instead, have i made the right choice?
Pleased to hear it! We had more snow today in Sheffield and whilst I see the green shoots … its cold and I’m not thinking of getting going quite yet Pippa. I’ve got some ‘Rocket’ in the garage biding their time and I looked for the potatoes Monty recommended recently but they were Sooooo expensive. Is it too early to start sowing parsnips?
I bought 40 desiree for £3-00 and they are chitting great. they are a lovely spud. big and good for chips mash the lot.
Hi my spuds get eaten every year. I think it may be slugs. They have been inedable for the last 2 seasons. I tried some reds I found growing sprouts in some I bought from Tesco last year and planted them. These were a 90 per cent success hardly any damage. Can anyone tell me why, and do you think its slug damage. I even grew Kestral which are ment to be slug resistant but mine wern’t. Ive bought Kestral, golden wonder, sarpo, pentlon javelin and rocket this year have I done right. Please can anyone advise me on what Im doing wrong. I rotate and dig over the area where Im planting them several times in the winter in the hope of destroying whatever eating my spuds. I keep trying to get a decent crop but I will give up if this year it happens again and buy from the supermarket.
I’m glad to see that I’m in good company with buying potatoes from the 99p store. I bought 2 varieties this week – King Edward and Home Guard. They look very healthy and will supplement the seed potatoes I bought mail order.
Live in the south of ireland ,could anyone recommend a good variety of early potatoes.Thanks
I fell in love with Pink Fir Apple from the supermarket last year and have never grown spuds before. So I’m going to try something I love in a bucket as I don’t have a large vegetable patch at the moment. I may try another variety but not sure which would be most suitable for bucket growing. Any ideas?
I find the best way to avoid slug damage is to plant early and dig up the crop early. this year ,with the frost we have had, should see minimal slug damage as their population should be decimated. I am still singing the praises of “Swift” which not only had superb large tubers but a great yield and flavour for me last year. The secret of growing in a container is in the compost -lots of well-rotted horse manure in it should give a good yield of any variety you fancy.
As for happymarion’s comment on horse manure in the compost – I find that the best “manure” to use is chicken. The other horse, cow, etc. don’t seem to work as well for me.
i grow in tubs every year with great success. i grow rocket, charlotte, and am trying nicola and nadine too this year. also i use sheep manure from my brothers farm which has proved excellent results so far.
Now I just need a supply of manure! I’m new to this area and finally bought my seed potatoes yesterday. There was 40 in the bag, which I’m sure will be too many. can I take some over to Spain in my hand luggage before they chit?
I grow my potatoes in special bags that I bought from Marshals, they have handles so are easy to move around. For the past two years I have grown Swift and Kestrel. I plant the Swift in the bags and put them in the greenhouse in March, and harvest them in May. This year I am going to try Pentland Javelin and Sarpo Mira for a change, has anyone else tried these varieties?
In answer to suemitch05′s question, I believe you can move any plantlife around Europe, I have taken plants(flowers) by trailer to and from Spain without any problems when I went to live there for 5 years, but not sure about putting them in hand luggage.
I have been growing Sarpo Mira for the last 5 years with great success. But I have a plot and grow about 200 seed poatatoes, mainly Sarpo varieties, Bonnie for earlies and Pink Fir Apple for chips and salads. They keep our familiy in potatoes for a whole year!
I was wandering if adding Green Manure to my veg patch will enhance the soil.
Ive just started growing veg in my back garden and the soil hasnt got much organic matter yet.
Pippa, does the garden centre where you bought your pots have an on line site? I have a small back garden and sacks for growing my pots so being able to buy just the amount I need would be great. Thanks.
I’ve just returned from my local garden centre – Wyevale – and they have 6 varieties of seed potatoes to buy loose @ £1.99/bag, if that’s any help to you Frances.
Are there such things as Nematodes that stop wire worm?
I thought I had read about them somwhere but I think I must have imagined it. Every year 70% of my crop is ruined by wire worm. It’s very annoying.
I tried the nematode that controls chafer grubs last year as it is meant to have some effect on wireworms too. I can’t say I noticed any difference. Reading around the subject the problem is meant to get better with regualr cultivation but after 6 years on my plot I can’t say it is any better. Perhaps I need to tell the wireworms!
Does any one have any knowledge regarding sweet potatoes, I would love to grow some on my allotment
I came across some info on a plant called Foil-sis that strongly encourages eel worm larve to hatch. If planted before your potatoes they have nothing to feed on and die.
http://www.alanromans.com/p-1646-foil-sisbranstons.aspx
Can you still obtain pelleted hop manure, it was produced by \vitax in Leics, but is no longer on their website. This is a very good product. We have very clay soil and helped enormously. Thanking you
how warm must the soil be to plant potatoes
It is far too wet here to plant seed potatoes, unless you’re thinking of popping a few into pots in a greenhouse!
Sarpo Mira is great, very dense flesh and wonderfully resistant to blight, not my favourite for flavour but certainly has a lot of plus points!
i am growing maris bard under Cloches and have a soil Thermometer the soil is 2.5 at the momement am i right that potatoes start growing at 7.2C 45f in old money.
i have 3 bags in greenhouse warming up (no heat in greenhouse)
just Checking if i was right
jim
@sheila – our climate is too cool for sweet potatoes.
I have never tried to, but I am going to plant some this year! In Texas ~
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Do I really need to chit my seed pots when they arrive,they are not due for about another 3 weeks?
Thanks.
P.S. My pots will be grown in bags to save space.
I wonder if you can find the time to answer this question please?
This year I picked the very first of my new potatoes very early, just to get a taste. I then did something my father taught me many years ago. I replanted the potato, roots.
I left them for another month, whilst continuing to use other potatoes as they became ready. When I re-lifted the replants I had a very respectable second crop of potatoes.
I just wondered if anyone else does this?
Thank you