Topic: Potatoes in first year after grass....?

[sally_cinnamon]

Hi all,
I was down the lottie this weekend and met a nice chappie in a red boiler suit and he asked me what I'd be growing and advised me against potatoes in the first year because there is a lot of grass and he said there is a wee beastie that lives in the grass/roots (?) that will eat the potatoes if I plant any.  I was sort of in two minds about pots anyway cos I don't eat that many anway, but one of the other old boys had recommended that I grow them and didn't mention the little destroyer-bugs..
Any thoughts/experience?
 :)

[mokanoo]

I did exactly the same and found that I had no problems. Had a great harvest of potatoes although the odd one had been eaten but I'm guessing slugs or something. Search google or find out what the others have to say.

[norfolklass]

I'm sure I've read somewhere (possibly in a thread on this site) that potatoes are a great first crop for breaking up new ground, so I'll be trying them. no one's mentioned wee beasties to me yet :o
(it might be one of those things that if you ask five people about it, you'll get five different answers!)

[dandelion]

The beasties are probably cutworms. Leatherjackets (the larvae of Daddy-long-legs) can also cause trouble in grassed areas. I lost a crop  of direct-sown beans once. That said, I agree that  potatoes are a great crop to break up new ground. I used the lazybed method last year on a grassed area and have had no trouble with any beasties.

lazybed info here:

http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/tech/lazybed.htm

[Clairylou]

i SOWED POTATOES IN MY FIRST YEAR AFTER REMOVING COUCH GRASS AND THEY DID FINE.

CLAIRE :)

[busy_lizzie]

It is one of the first things we do with uncultivated ground and that is plant potatoes. It always seems to break up the soil nicely especially if you have couch grass. busy_lizzie

[Slug_killer]

As well as slugs and cut-worms, wireworms just loooooooove potatoes. They're the light brown work like beasties that wriggle. They normally eat grass roots, but will eat potatoes in the absence of grass.

When digging out grass you'll sure too see some.

If you really want to plant potatoes here, try varieties that are resitant to most beasties. Kestral and Desiree are better than most - nothing will be totally resistant.

I heard that the red potato varieties are more resilient to slugs than the white/yellow ones.

Also try to grow Earlies or 2nd Earlies. They'll not be in the ground for as long as Mains, and so the beasties have less time to chew away.

Some good pest web sites are :-
Wireworms
    http://www.pestspotter.co.uk/pests/53.htm
    http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/wireworm.htm
    http://www.syngenta-crop.co.uk/NR/exeres/5D749023-FE95-4C85-9A85-987D4D63E7A8,frameless.htm
    http://www.greengardener.co.uk/extras.htm
    http://www.organic.aber.ac.uk/library/technical/5wireworms-eng.pdf


Cutworms
    http://www.organicgardening.org.uk/factsheets/pc16.php
    http://www.pestspotter.co.uk/pests/54.htm

[cornykev]

Skim the top 1/2 inch off with your shovel, then just turn the soil over, my potatoes went in like that last year and had no problem the odd one might get eaten but they should be all right. ;D ;D ;D

[Sprout]

I concur with the wireworm theory. I have loads of them and I kill them on sight when digging out the couch. I've read that it can take a few years to be totally rid of them. My first potato crop was 'damaged' but apart from one or two, the damage was just cosmetic and once peeled, you'd never have known. 

[luckyme]

When you're digging the grass up, if you filter through the soil I wouldn't have though that there'd be a big problem, but then, I've not had any meetings with the grim beasts... yet, touch wood!
As for potatoes being great for breaking up the ground - cos they grow so deep it takes so much to dig them out, it's you that does all the breaking up, but at least there's a reward at the end of it all for a change!  :P

[sid]

i had a very good crop and my allotment was a field for years every thing i grew was good no problems at all