Hi I am Newbie - seed potato question

[KLCG]

I got my 80 m2 arched shaped plot last October, it was covered in thistles and couch grass and was really overgrown, although according to my allotment neighbour it hadnt been worked on for a year. Looked like more!  I pulled the thistles out and dug the couch grass and dragged all the rotted carpets that were no good for covering to one corner. it's a south facing plot with no shade, no shed and is right by the water facilities so i think its quite a good location.  There is only me, my husband and our 2 year old daughter so the plot is much too big for us so i was going to either just use half or let a friend use the other half.

I've been growing from seed lots of veg ready to plant out and i have my seed potatoes at the ready.  My (Kestrel) earlies are looking a bit wrinkly though  ??? I have added nothing to my allotment plot in the way of fertiliser or compost as there is only me to work the plot and it's difficult getting it up there, i wasnt going to rotavate either - i couldnt borrow one from next allotment site, so i am just digging it over.

My question is though how do i plant my seed potatoes? and what is everyone planting right now?

Kelly

[KLCG]

[posie]

Hi Kelly - welcome to the madness of vegetable growing and A4A!  I'm no expert as this is my first growing season, but I have only put 1 row of early spuds in so far and 1 row of early nante carrots (I'm in South Wales).  My spuds are also wrinkly but having searched on this site, that doesn't appear to be a problem.  My first row was a case of digging a hole then popping it in, but having read a few threads, trenching seems to be the way to go, as it's easier to earth them up when they need it.  Hope that helps.  No doubt someone with a bit more experience will be along shortly!  ;D

[KLCG]

Thanks Posie

[saddad]

Hello Kelly and welcome to the site, are you going to give us nosey ones a few details ... and a couple of pics of the plot?
;D

[manicscousers]

hiya, kelly, nice to meet you, best way if you can do it, digging out the weeds, we use a bulb planter for our spuds, put the spud in the hole and cover it, then earth up as we go..if you search on here, you'll find loads of different ways..happy plotting  ;D
oh, and all our potatoes were wrinkly before we planted them..we've planted, under fleece, parsnips, early carrots, early peas and all the onions without fleece, as saddad says, lets see a pic or 2  ;D

[Barnowl]

Spuds are quite greedy, so if you haven't a chance of digging in some composted manure, and use the bulb planter method, I think it might be an idea to water with some liquid manure from time to time once the plants start growing but I stand ready to be corrected.

[goodlife]

Hi there

I think (like previous ones) that you are going to need some fertilizer to help your potatoes grow..they are greedy feeders.
Just make little hole for each potato and cover it with few inches of soil, get some pelleted chiken manure and blood,fish and bone meal and scatter handfull of both over them (about 1 metre row). As you potatoes grow drag some soil over the stems leaving tops still visible. If you have lawn clippings available these are great too...just put layer on top of soil around plants (no more than 1 inch thickness at the time) and as grass start to rot down it releases nitrogen into soil which again feeds your spud..
When your potatoes start flowering, "a bit" of water would help for swelling those little potatoes for large whoppers.
You do get great results with trench method but it is really hard work for your back and then you have to dig you potatoes up from those deep trenches again.
I learned my lesson long time ago and I cover my potatoes with soil only lightly..it is far more easier to use mulches rather than soil.
I mulch with wilted weeds, straw, newspaper, grass clippings, rhubarb leaves, comfry leaves...anything which do not start re growing on top the soil...
And the result with all that is lovely,crumbly soil with loads of tiny creatures living in it...when you have healthy soil you do not need much fertilizers neither.

[Vortex]

If you're trench planting potatoes and put in the correct amount of muck/mulch then when planted the potato is no deeper than if you use a bulb planter, therefore when harvesting the amount of digging involved is no greater.
I only trench on poor soil or when I'm clearing a new plot and don't have time to manure as I go - it's easier to dig and clear then manure later. In later years I manure as I dig then use the bulb planter method.
If you really want no digging then you have to go for a no dig method and surface plant your potatoes, or grow them in tyres or containers.
If you are going to use the bulb planter method and haven't had a chance to dig then follow the advice and give them a good dose of fish/blood/bone and pelleted chicken manure.