Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: betula on March 21, 2008, 12:48:17
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I always like to put my potatoes in on Good Friday as it is tradition and that is the way I was taught years ago .However it is just too early and I think we are going to have lots more frosts soon.Pity.I like to stick to the old traditions. :)
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Totally agree!! ;D
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The tradition of planting on Good Friday is only about 200 years old. It stems from the fact that the first holiday miners, mill workers, and factory workers got after Christmas was Good Friday, so it was the only chance they had to get to their allotments - something that was given to them to make up for the fact that they lived in row upon row of hamster cages with no gardens and crap wages and no-where to grow anything.
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Yes, Easter was always 'tatie planting time. It was hoped that the frost was away before the leaves showed through.
Going to be a bit wet for digging trenches this weekend tho'.... :(
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I planted mine more or less on Good Friday last year. I'd never thought through the whys of this particular local tradition, but I've heard it lots from older folk.
This year, so far today we've had heavy rain, hailstones, blustery winds, and more rain. Currently on a brief spell of sunshine. Don't think I'll be rushing around the lottie with me spuds though. :)
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I am afraid I did go up and plant mine - but not because its a good friday but becuase I only grow earlies and I generaly plant them in the last couple of weeks of March. I also sowed the parsnips today. The soil on the lottie is almost black and the beds are in full sun - so tend to be able to plant fairly early.
Was a bit windy though.
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I agree. Too early for potato planting in most areas. Not a very reliable gardening lore if you ask me considering how easter can vary so much. I tend to aim for early april to get my seed spuds in, (i live in southern england).
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Hey! planted mine today, glad it's a traditional day! ;D (didn't know)
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Way too wet to plant spuds on my allotment just yet.
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I was planning on digging over the bed for my earlies this weekend, but after a couple of fork fulls of heavy sodden earth I decided to sack that idea and pottered around weeding and mulching my strawberries instead! :)
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I grow in containers (I don't have a lottie), and therefore, I followed tradition and got my first earlies in. The container is in the greenhouse though, until the weather warms up.
Jo.
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Good Friday usually fits in with moon planting, not this year though. Easter Monday always does. If you believe that sort of thing of course. Too wet here anyway.
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Got mine in yesterday, the soil is perfect for planting down here on the south devon coast, warm and dry out the wind ;) also put some peas in and gladioli.
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Hoping to get mine in today, depending on how soggy the soil is. Fingers crossed. ;D
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Put another line of earlies in yesterday, planned more today but hasn't stopped drizzling today, the earlies I put in five weeks ago are showing their heads so I covered up with dry compost and put large plastic bottles over them again. ;D ;D ;D
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Good Friday usually fits in with moon planting, not this year though. Easter Monday always does. If you believe that sort of thing of course. Too wet here anyway.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday (to 3pm) are all root days for planting by the moon, which is why I planted yesterday. By Easter Monday you have moved into a flower day.
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i couldnt put mine in even if i wanted too. The bed I have planned to put my spuds in this year isnt ready yet. Was hoping to get it ready this weekend (or sometime around now) but it has been far too cold and windy to get out on the plot .
Instead i have spent today potting up some young bedding plants and sowing seeds - in the warmth of my conservatory! ;D
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Good plan GA, thats what I have done today as well :D
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Suzanne you are too specific for me. Do you go by the constellations as well? I should try harder and look into it more.
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According to http://www.ommas-aarden.net/lunar_garden.08.htm, these are the root days for March and April:
March 21- Libra
22 - Libra
23 - Libra
24 - Scorpio
25 - Scorpio
26 - Sagittarius
27 - Sagittarius
28 - Sagittarius
April 20- Scorpio
21 - Scorpio
22 - Scorpio
23 - Sagittarius
24 - Sagittarius
25 - Capricorn
26 - Capricorn
27 - Capricorn
Unfortunately, it does not fit my schedule at all - potatoes are going to go in during the Spring holiday, so I will not be following the lunar calendar. I should think some will so I will compare what does with what doesn't.
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I put half in friday the rest can wait ,who knows see which survive the best :-\
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hiya, apache..welcome to the site ;D
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mine went in a week ago. All of them second early and maincrop, planted quite deep about 10 inches on well rotted horse manure.
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Can someone tell me if its OK to plant potato tubers directly on top of horse manure if the manure has been rotting for 5 years or more and no longer even smells of anything?
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Sawfish, should be fine, sounds very inert so no risk of scalding. Even slightly fresher and it probably wouldnt harm, spuds are very resilient.
A point if i may about the timing - I personally reckon it makes no difference how early they go in, after all, those spuds left in the ground all year after getting inadvertently forgotten or those voulunteer spuds always seem to do extremely well, and they've been in all winter! I think the plants sort it out themselves - when its warm enough they will grow, otherwise, they sit tight.
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The key thing is when your last significant frosts are likely to be in your area. In Brum we can get them as late as the end of April. A couple of years ago all the "early spud planters" had their potato tops wiped out by a frost at the end of April. You can get away with it if you cover them with fleece but you have to be quick keep your eye out foon the weather forecasts!
I never bother putting any in until April.
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I put my third and last line of earlies in today. ;D ;D ;D
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I've got some main crops which I bought early and now have bigger chits than my earlies which I ordered from T & M and only got recently. Should I just put them all in at the same time (if I've got the energy!)?
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Ain't got none in as yet. It has been either raining or snowing. Ground just isn't suitable digging as yet. :(
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I think mine are starting to root in the eggboxes!!! :o :o
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Yes ,mine are now part of the family :)
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last frosts can be mid May here, so I suppose I could have waited but I like the tension!
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I put in my 2nd earlies last Tuesday as it was the only day I was going to be able to put them in for a while. The 1st earlies hadn't grown as much but they will go in soon. The maincrop are waiting for a while - I need to clear the space before they can go in.