Topic: xmas spuds have arrived!

[daveandtara]

Dobies have sent our seed potatos (nicola) and they warn about the likelihood of blight.
i wonder, having a newly cleared plot, if i don't plant them close together but put a few in one area and a few somewhere else will i lessen the chances of blight spreading thru the whole crop?
we've no idea where the last tenant grew what and have found baby pink spuds all over the place while clearing.
we've never grown spuds before so any general spud advice gratefully received!
Tara xx

[wardy]

Glad to hear you have spuds  ;D  Have you got your brassica collection from Dobies yet?  I haven't    I grew my first spuds this year on my plot and they're delish  :)   I'm going to keep a few back and use them for Christmas spuds.  I don't want many and thought I'd plant them in pots so I can protect them if it gets dead cold (or even put them in the shed)

Like you say if you spread them in a couple of areas it would lessen the risk of all the crop being affected should blight hit the plot.  Sounds sensible to me but then hey what do I know  ;D

[supersprout]

I took my plot on in May, too late for spuds - or so I thought. The 'old boys' all put a new crop of spuds in in JULY 'for Christmas'  :o and gave me some hollow spongy leggy seed potatoes left over from the Spring planting.  :-\ But since there was little else planted, I shoved them into one of the beds, through holes in black plastic, and threw mulch around them - spent hops, bits out of seed trays, and topsoil - whenever I had some.
Nothing seemed to happen for three weeks. Then they took off about two weeks ago and look healthy and happy.
The 'old boys' will have to tell me what to do when frost threatens. And I don't know if the tubers will grow under or over the black plastic, or a bit of both, so will keep mulching.
This is the first time I've heard of planting in July for Christmas outdoors. Anyone else out there doing it?

[Mothy]

Yep, just planted a whole load from Tuckers, Carlingford is the variety.

Dug and planted them last weekend....fingers crossed!!