Potatoes - Earlies or maincrop?

[Garden Manager]

If you are relatively tight on space in the veg plot/allotment, which would be the best to grow?

I grow my veg in beds roughly 1m x 3m. Only one of these a year can be used for potato growing (5 beds in total). Up to now i have shoehorned an early and maincrop into the 'potato' bed (different one each year of course!). Because so few plants could be grown, buying seed tubers in bulk proved uneconomical and instead bought what i wanted loose from the garden centre. In 2005 I was unable to get decent tubers in the required quantity for the Earlies and what i got produced a poor crop.

As a result i am wondering if it would be better to concentrate on one crop of either early or main. Trouble is which one would be best to go for? I am leaning towards main for the simple reason that they store longer and grew well in 2005. But what do you folks think?  What should i do?

Thanks

[Garden Manager]

[Wicker]

If I was really restricted for space, richard, I would certainly plant earlies - just for the taste - anyway they never last long enough with us to need storing for any length of time really!

Depends how many rows you can squeeze in (3?) then you could have a first early a second early and a maincrop.

[Tulipa]

I would go for earlies like Wicker, I grew some in containers last year and they were wonderful.  Lady Christl.  Then you would be able to fit something else in the bed perhaps to get 2 crops from it.  Or grow some earlies in pots and  a maincrop in the bed.  My family always moaned about new potatoes until they ate the ones I grew!

[CityChick]

Another vote for earlies.  I love Lady Christl too.  And Red Duke of York, and Winston, and.... (bit of a potato addict here  ;D)

Once I've dug up my earlies on my allotment I'm planning to have some plants of something like courgettes, winter squash or outdoor cucumber ready to go out in their place, as I thought they'd like simillar soil conditions.  This is the theory anyway - my first year trying it on the allotment.

[MikeB]

I agree go for earlies, my preferance is charlotte, when they are dug up re-use the bed for leeks which you will have started earlier in a seed tray or on a piece of spare ground. 1' x 1'

[Derekthefox]

I cannot argue with the choice for earlies ... On the taste experience, and even the cost ... why remove one of the joys of the summer for the allotment gardener?

[philcooper]

It's all been said above, go for the earlies, plant early - end of Feb if it's not too frosty or wet. Cover with black polythene or fleece and get them even earlier. You then could have time to repeat the process for some late Autumn spuds.

Phil

[Tulipa]

Phil, could I do this in a container?  It is easy to get hold of the seed potatoes now but where do I get them to plant a second crop and what kind would you suggest? 

[stuffed]

Another vote for earlies, you just can't beat em ;D

[jennym]

The question of blight affects my choice of potato - if I can get them out of the ground early, it's so much easier. The blight normally hits here mid August, so I do try to get them in as early as possible too.

[Svea]

my bed for potatoes is about 1.2m by 4m
i have grown three varieties last year - first earlies, second earlies and main crop
and i have to say - i did get slightly sick of having to eat potatoes after a while. if all of them had been earlies i would have gone right off them. i planted them in two rows in such a way that the first ones were at the far end, and the main crops at the other - so when i had cleared the first earlies, i could reuse that part of the bed for another crop (squashes, in my case)

i grew charlotte (but wasnt too impressed) nicola( superb, my fav) and desiree.

will again go for a mix of three or four potatoes this year - vary the first early and add another maincrop i think

sorry for the ramble, not much help :/

[derbex]

I do grow both, but I think jennym has hit the nail on the head -grow earlies and beat the blight. My allotment neighbour does this. Personally I have been lucky and not been hit by blight so far (although others on the allotment have) and got maincrop too. Which is great because you get more- but they are in the ground longer and so get attacked more.

Your yields must have been better than mine Svea -agree about nicola, I liked Ambo as an early maincrop, King Teds sprouted.

Jeremy

[MikeB]

As well as charlotte I grow 2nd earlies kestral and picasso which can be treated as a maincrop as well. 

[philcooper]

Mike,

Please don't lift them at the first sign of blight, this may spread the blight spores from the haulm on to the tubers and they could rot in storage.

At the sign of blight, cut off the foliage, remove and burn it. Leave the spuds for 3 weeks this allows time for the spores which could well be on the surface to die before bringing the tubers into contact with the surface soil

Phil

[MikeB]

Thanks Phil, I've edited my post in case it's read and not yours.

MikeB

[Svea]

derbex - my charlottes were huge - some were the size of baking potatoes! tender though and tasty - just not when compared to nicola which came next

we are only two people eating off the plot and we dont usually eat potatoes every day - so it did almost get a bit much.
luckily, the maincrop could just stay in for a bit longer - so we had a potato break in the summer for a couple of weeks, before i lifted the rest

[keef]

I do agree earlies do taste better, but be careful of putting all your eggs in one basket.. We had a late frost this year that hit my earlyies pretty bad. You could plant some of the earlies 3 or 4 weeks later, but then you may aswell put in some main crops if your going to do that. You will get a better yield from maincrops aswell. I always go 50/50 earlies / maincrop.

[carloso]

I'd say earlies to !

I use Rocket they absolutly gorgeous last yr and they missed the blight that evry one got with there mains !!!


carlos

[Garden Manager]

many thanks for replies

I still dont know what to do!!

I can see where you are all coming from with the earlies, however unless you grow a salad type early, they crop at a time of year when you dont want so many potatoes (salad time). Mains on the other hand crop when you are getting fed up with salads and want 'proper' meals with potatoes. Likewise i like the mains i have grown for the past few years (Desiree) and are reluctant to give them up. SIGH!

I am tempted to grow both but then i am back to the original problem - getting a decent crop.

[Jimbo]

I have received my seed potatoes for this year, but am getting conflicting information as to how the Adora should be grown: Early or Main-crop?  As it is a relative new-comer, (and so am I!) I was wondering if anybody out there in Lottieland knows?  Help!!!

Lord Splott