Potato plants ...

[sweetbelle]

I was offered a half plot about 3 weeks ago and so am still in the planning stage... I've never grown veggies before and was therefore wondering how many potatoes I would get per plant (average of course!)?

I received the Thompson and Morgan catalogue earlier today and they have starters packs of 6 varieties and you get 10 tubers of each.... It's only my husband and I so we don't want huge amounts - at the moment, we go through 1kg of potatoes a week.... Is that going to be too much? I am planning to grow them in a raised bed (1.5m x 10).

Thanks!
;)

[sweetbelle]

[wardy]

Lucky you - a plot of your own.  How exciting  :)  Sounds good start spud wise.  You don't want to buy loads of one variety if you don't eat large amounts.  You can store the main crops ones though.  Mine are doing really well kept in sacks in my wash house with hubbies old coat over them to keep out all the light. Some spuds are higher yielding than others, and there are lots of variables to that as well.  I wouldn't worry - a seed spud is programmed to grow  :)  The spacings for your spuds will be given on the pack but you can plant them closer if you've not much room but that might reduce the yield.  Swings and roundabouts  :)

[Derekthefox]

Well I have just done an estimate, I plant perhaps 150 tubers total, over 4 varieties, and that lasts us about half the year, feeding a family of 4, so that is 37 tubers per person. Each plant will yield 8 or 10 medium potatoes, that equates to almost two potatoes each over 6 months, if my maths is right. Of course we get less because of losses and spoilage etc, but it works out about right.

So your starter pack sounds ideal, it will get you into growing and give you 6 varieties to work with.

Good luck!

[mc55]

Derek - your site sounds huge, have you got any photos ?  I was very pleased with my garlic planting, 8 cloves ! until I saw your thread regarding planting around 80-90 cloves

       ... methinks I need to rethink my plans ..  :(

[Derekthefox]

First of all, mc55, my approach is to try and feed my family as totally as practical ... but I started off with smaller quantities ...

Secondly, my plot is 600 sq yards, basically 15 yards by 40 yards. This is the view from the gate, looking up the length of the plot. The shed is essentially the back of the plot.

[Robert_Brenchley]

That's the same size as mine, and looks similar with the hedges. It's a fair bit of work keepng it all in order; do you cultivate all of it? Most people on my site only do part; I try to do the whole of mine, but haven't been managing it the last couple of years.

[Paulines7]

Derek, what lovely soil.  :D  Years of hard work, no doubt, digging in compost.  I am very envious.

[Derekthefox]

The soil IS lovely Pauline, but I don;t know how much of that is down to me. It is riddled with pebbles though, so I get lots of forked carrots and parsnips. Mind you, I grow to eat, not for the show bench, so it doesnt matter that much.

The plot is essentially completely cultivated, although the three yards up by my shed are rather overgrown, because that is where I do all my odds and ends, my compost heap, incinerator, barbeque, bench, and various bits are stored. So it has ended up a mess. Perhaps this year ...

[philcooper]

Sweetbelle,

The answer as to how much you will get is a piece of string.

It depends on the variety, your soil and the growing conditions but a good average is around 3 lbs for maincrop and half that for first earlies.

If you pick a high yielding variety and have good soil (and put in plenty of muck) in a good year it will be more

Regards

Phil