Missing Potatoes

[Chantenay]

I am not sure what I have done wrong, but my bed of Golden Wonder seemed very late coming through. I firkled around in the soil and could not even find a rotted spud corpse. They went in on 9th May. About 14 - 18 inches deep. My mistake may have been putting a layer of wet newspaper on the bottom of the trench, or the tubers may have come into contact with the Growmore fertiliser I put in as I re-filled the trenches. But I used the same method for my King Edwards, Desiree and Kestrels and they seem to be OK.
Any ideas on what may have happened.
And can anyone think of a source of late main crop spuds which will chip and roast well? And do I stand a chance of getting a crop if they go in this week?? Thanks for any ideas.

[Chantenay]

[Grant]

Can not think what has gone wrong with your spuds.  You might find it hard laying your hands on some seed ones now.
Cara were good for us last winter but you are leaving it a bit late. Could leave in them in the ground longer. If we get a mild Autumn might help.

[dandelion]

I had the same problem with Golden Wonder. I planted just 2 seed potatoes of
G W. One grew but the other one didn't.  All my  other varieties have come up fine (harvested the fist ones yesterday. Lady Christl: Yum!) I wondered if a fox had dug up the Golden Wonder; the soil was disturbed...

[Curryandchips]

Foxes are carnivores? Hence they generally only scratch about for worms and slugs? I would suspect squirrels ... they seem to do a lot of damage in our gardens, digging quite deeply and unearthing all our new plants.

[Alimo]

I think foxes are omnivores - they deffo eat blackberries...

Alison

[Curryandchips]

Yes you are right - omnivores, but I have never known them to dig up potatoes when meat is available. Certainly the foxes on my plot tend to leave my vegetables alone ... (like most allotments, I have a massive slug population).

[dandelion]

I don't think the fox was after the potatoes. In fact I found a potato when the soil was disturbed and re-planted it.  The spuds were planted in a layer of manure (lazybed system) and I think that's what got the fox's attention!

[Chantenay]

How weird - my Golden Wonder appeared to be well chitted - were yours?? And they were proper stock from HDRA Potato Day.
I am now thinking about planting some supermarket Maris Pipers - would that work?? Or might it just import troublesome viruses?

[supersprout]

Badgers? ???

[janebb]

14-18" seems a bit deep for planting.  I normally put mine in at about a depth of 6".  Could they still be struggling to get to daylight or have they definitely disappeared?

[saddad]

Mine certainly don't go in so deep, and I never had much luck with GW, but then I prefer waxy pots...
???

[powerspade]

Thats very deep to plant potaoes, I put mine in about 5 to 6 inches

[Chantenay]

I know - I was trying a different method this year. And Kestrel, King Edwards and Desiree have emerged ok. I think my next problem will come when I have to dig very deep to get the spuds out.
Lesson learned - do what your granddad taught you and leave these newfangled methods to the likes of Mr Flowerdew!!
Thanks for your comments everone - and I think foxes are omnivores.

[amphibian]

I have some Ambo that never emerged, I dug them up and the seed potato had vanished, the soil was very wet at the time they were planted, but surely they cannot have rotted so quickly.