Topic: Potatoless Potatoes!

[Flighty]

The Ministry of Agriculture's Allotment and Garden Guide Vol.1 No.3 March 1945 recommended using Growmore.

[Glen]

Thats great news smudger - maybe there is still hope for my spuds yet!  ;D

[Chrispy]

The Ministry of Agriculture's Allotment and Garden Guide Vol.1 No.3 March 1945 recommended using Growmore.

The RHS book ....
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dnb%5Fsb%5Fnoss%26field-keywords%3D9781845334086%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks&tag=aldershomodel-21&linkCode=ur2&camp=1634&creative=19450
says use a 'general fertilizer'.

[antipodes]

I take no notice of the flowers. I note when I planted my earlies (in my case end Feb, beginning March) and wait at least 100 days. They are now starting to yellow and the foliage is weakening. I have started harvesting and they are giving good yields, several spuds per plant.
The Ratte second earlies have terrific growth but i won't touch them for at least 3 more weeks. And the lates, well, I wait till they have completely died off.
I think you are too impatient!  ;)

[Tattieman]

Iain tell us more about the growmore, I used spud fertiliser from our non working shop and when I asked one of the blokes what it was actualy called he said it was just the same as growmore.  ???      :-\        ;D ;D ;D

Ok Growmore has an NPK value of 7-7-7 which means that for every handful of fertiliser that you apply you are getting 7 parts of N-P-K in equal measure.
A balanced potato fertilser will contain 1.5 times more potash than nitrogen so that more growth takes place underground and not in the haulms. A typical potato fertiliser would have a NPK balance of 7-5-10 or there abouts.

I use 14-14-21 in the field.

Hope that helps.

[campanula]

Well growmore might not be perfectly balanced but it certainly would not cause potatoes to fail to thrive. Unless the plant really has died down, it is much too early to be mucking around hoping for dinner 9 oh, and don't think I haven't been there). And yes, the frosts most certainly did cause some delays - my top growth was wiped out to the soil surface and it took another 2 weeks to grow back. So, all those who planted in the last week of March ought to wait till the END of June, and that is for earlies. Kestrel and such won't be ready till the middle of July.
Calm down, we have nothing to fear - even blight is not so lethal at this time of year ..........by July/August though!!!!

[smudger28]

Here is 2.3 KG of Lady Christl harvested from 2 plants a week early after using growmore granules.

Will be using Growmore again...

Don't panic Glen and good luck ;D



This is our potato plot

[goodlife]

I just had a look at my Rocket...first flowers are out..and little potatoes are just started swelling..so  I'll have another couple of weeks to go for start of the harvest...so late...oh well... ::)

[Glen]

Wow smudger - they look amazing!!!  ;D

[amphibian]

Haven't had a furtle yet, but it is early days, planst are still lush and green. I tend to wait for die back.

I only planted out on Good Friday so It's only 11 weeks for me so far.

[smudger28]

Just an update on our Lady Christls.  We harvested this morning and took out some whoppers.

The one on the right weighed in at 370g, I'm sure new potatoe's are not this large?

[powerspade]

I have 3 rows x 24ft of Lady Christl spuds, I dressed with Growmore when I planted them. Last week I did a final earth up and accidently disturbed a few new spuds, so I had a little prod around and found enough for our dinner, They were the size of a chickens eggs and as sweet as a nut.
My main crop are looking very good and in full flower. Hope I dont get blight this year - I have been caught with bight this last 3 seasons 

[smudger28]

I have 3 rows x 24ft of Lady Christl spuds, I dressed with Growmore when I planted them. Last week I did a final earth up and accidently disturbed a few new spuds, so I had a little prod around and found enough for our dinner, They were the size of a chickens eggs and as sweet as a nut.
My main crop are looking very good and in full flower. Hope I dont get blight this year - I have been caught with bight this last 3 seasons 

Hi Powerspade I have been very impressed so far with Lady Christl.  I have about another 8 or so plants to dig up before we start on our 2nds.

I was very suprised at the size of the latest ones.....



I thik my wife is going to try them as bakers LOL