Author Topic: potato confusion (Read 8597 times)

legless · « **Reply #20 on:** December 18, 2003, 13:53:22 »

<sigh> no local HDRA for me, never mind eh?

tim, phil etc i don't understand potatoes please can we have a masterclass?

my books all say different things and so do you lot :D!

tim · « **Reply #21 on:** December 18, 2003, 14:07:50 »

Oh, dear - I thought that we all agreed on the basics?

So - Variety? Chitting? Planting? Earthing up? Blight? Harvesting? Storing? State your problem!! = Tim

PS I'm no master!

legless · « **Reply #22 on:** December 18, 2003, 14:16:37 »

ok i have earlies and second earlies on order. (i think! cherie, charlotte and ratte)

step by step how to make them grow please!! if you could get me to the stage where they are in the ground that would be fantastic!

so when they arrive i place them in egg boxes, rose side up on a north facing windowsill in an unheated room. do i do all of them or do i treat the earlies and second earlies differently?

how long do they stay there for? what should they look like when they are ready for planting? when do i plant them? how do i plant them?

the area i want to plant them in is currently covered in black plastic. will this help warm the soil up or something?

i'm sure there are more to come!

philcooper · « **Reply #23 on:** December 18, 2003, 14:28:11 »

The advice on chitting to date is spot on. Treat them all the same.

Planting: early varieties: March/April
main crop: April (in an average place in an average year ie don't plant if the ground is still very wet and/or cold).

Black plastic is supposed to help warm the ground, it also keeps any heavy rain off and therefore is a "good thing".

On how to continue try www.hhdra.org.uk/potcult.htm

legless · « **Reply #24 on:** December 18, 2003, 16:03:13 »

thank you!

tim · « **Reply #25 on:** December 18, 2003, 16:15:57 »

No dispute with Phil - just another view??

1. Don't worry. They'll do what they wish. And there's no desperate rush, anyway?
2. How long? Till they have 1/2-1" strong green sprouts. But if the ground is too heavy to work, leave it a week or so - no harm will come. Black plastic - yes - but better on the carrot rows? And is the soil really moist under the plastic? If not, you're wasting your time? Again, NO RUSH!
3. Ours go in between March and May - then more in July or so. If you are too early, you'll have to protect them.
4. Planting - as the site says - 2 - 2 1/2 times the depth of the pot. I do like to put a couple of slug pellets in each hole - it does seem to protect them. And they do say that a little peat lining on the bottom is good. And a potato fert really does help. = Tim

legless · « **Reply #26 on:** December 18, 2003, 18:47:35 »

thanks again tim!

Lesley_Reynolds · « **Reply #27 on:** January 03, 2004, 18:54:50 »

what exactly does chitting mean, and when is the best time to plant potatoes?

philcooper · « **Reply #28 on:** January 03, 2004, 19:06:20 »

Chitting is starting the potatoes sprouting. This means that they will spend less time in the ground. This is good for earlies as they are ready earlier. It is alos good for maincop as they will have longer to grow before they inevitably get blight (therefore a bigger crop than yoyu would otherwise have). This is explained above (or on page 1)

When to plant is above - but do take accouynt of local conditions - if is very wet and cold when they "should" be planted, wait on the other hand don't plant too early if the weather is very good as a late frost will nobble them and you'll loose much more time as they recover.

Garden Manager · « **Reply #29 on:** January 03, 2004, 19:40:38 »

I have a question on planting (2 actualy)

Firstly Planting of maincrop and earlies; I have read somewhere that you should plant maincrop BEFORE earlies because they need a longer growing period. I have always planted earlies before maincrop, which has always worked well for me for a sucession of cropping. Tell me which is right or better, and is ther any real benefit to planting the maincrop first?

Second planting spacing. What is the best/ optimum distance for a decent crop? Maincrop or earlies.

I grow my potatoes in raised beds using a 'no earthing up' technique employing black landscape fabric. I have never been sure how far apart to plant when grown in this way, and want to try and get the most out of the growing space (3m x 1m beds).

I'd appreciate any advice.

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #30 on:** January 04, 2004, 03:35:26 »

heres a spanner in the works!
I read a book today that said you should remove all but 2 shoots before planting! I have always just chitted along and bunged the whole thing in......should I be removing shoots to make a stronger plant???dottie P.

gavin · « **Reply #31 on:** January 04, 2004, 03:58:34 »

Hi Doris_pinks,

My dad used to cut all but the smallest seed potatoes in half lengthways. Don't know - but it strikes me that if the good god had meant potatoes to thrive better that way, he'd have put zips on them!

Or, in the case of your book, he'd have made seed potatoes with little red arrows pointing to the two best shoots to retain! Keep three-shooters out! No six-shooters to survive the evolutionary process!

But really, all that's an excuse - I'm lazy, and I'm not going to go through all my seed potatoes and remove shoots!

All best - Gavin

john_miller · « **Reply #32 on:** January 04, 2004, 04:20:00 »

I think that this advice follows from the tendency of potatoes to produce more tubers initially than they can support. Restricting the shoots to two will decrease the amount of tubers set. However, any excess tubers normally produced are quickly re-absorbed by the plant. Nothing will be gained but much potential leaf and root growth will be lost by restricting shoot numbers.

philcooper · « **Reply #33 on:** January 04, 2004, 20:03:49 »

On the number of shoots, I think that varieties vary considerably, some producing a small number of large tubers, others a large number of small tubers and many in between. So for first earlies you can have the little ones or for bakers you go for the large ones.
Some varieties object violently (or sulkily) to being cut, others don't mind, some produce their best yields from a small number of stems, others from a small number.
I think experimentation (whilst keeping records) is the only way to find out - if you are disatisfied with the crops you get from the tubers "as nature intended".
The only time that I've cut tubers was when the only ones available were large (and therefore expensive when bought by weight)
You can buy individual tubers at the Potato Days aroung the country (and try large and small seed) all for the same price!

Gail-M · « **Reply #34 on:** January 06, 2004, 10:48:44 »

Happy New Year to everyone out there !!!!

I've been reading with interest and have a question -

If I grow first early can they be kept and stored the same as a maincrop ? :-/

I've had an allotment for a couple of years and have always grown only a maincrop so far.

Any suggestions for a reliable waxy potato ?

Thanks,

Gail.

tim · « **Reply #35 on:** January 06, 2004, 12:00:10 »

Not a lot of point really? One grows the earlies so that you can scoff them as 'new potatoes' before the mains come in?

Waxy? Many, but the ones we grow are Pink Fir, Charlotte and Ratte, but we're trying Anya this year. PF will still be waxy in a month or two's time = Tim

philcooper · « **Reply #36 on:** January 06, 2004, 12:16:15 »

First earlies definitely do not store
A few second earlies do
But, as has been pointed out above, what is the point
Ealies have been selected to produce early tasty tubers but are generally low yeilding and do not keep, in the ground or out of it.
Maincrop are selected for higher yield and keeping qualities.
Second earlies are in between, they provide a reasonable yield, at the expence of early bulking but generally do not keep.
If you want advice on the best varieties, try a Potato Day, the first are in Hampshire and Gloucester on 24 - 25th Jan. Not only will you get advice but also a chance to try several so you can judge, as personnal tastes vary considerably and your growing conditions will also affect the resulting tubers
Phil

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #37 on:** January 06, 2004, 19:37:42 »

Tim, ordered my Anya's yesterday! hope they are as good as the ones I have tasted from the shops!! ;D (another one I have tasted from the supermarket is Ratte, have you grown this?) Dottie P.

Steve__C · « **Reply #38 on:** January 11, 2004, 23:52:59 »

Doris,
If they are only as good... give up.

I'm sure everything out of your garden is better than the supermarket!

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #39 on:** January 12, 2004, 02:16:22 »

Ah Steve, it is always better!!! (grown with love see!!)

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Author Topic: potato confusion (Read 8597 times)