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
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.
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!
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.
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'
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?
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
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?
Another vote for earlies, you just can't beat em ;D
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.
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 :/
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
As well as charlotte I grow 2nd earlies kestral and picasso which can be treated as a maincrop as well.Â
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
Thanks Phil, I've edited my post in case it's read and not yours.
MikeB
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
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.
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
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.
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
Jimbo,
According to HZPC, the Dutch company that raised Adora, it is a first early.
More info at http://www.hzpc.com/rdb.asp?a=search&Usage=0&Earliness=1&SkinColor=0&FleshColor=0&Shape=0
Phil
Thanks, Phil!
I guess I'd better start chitting then!
Lord Jimbo of Splott
Re Adora:
The Alan Romans Website (http://www.alanromans.co.uk/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=227&numRecordPosition=1&strPageHistory=search&strKeywords=adora&strSearchCriteria=any)
and
Charlton Park Garden Centre (http://www.charlton-park.co.uk/potatoes.html)
and
The European Cultivated Potato Database (http://194.128.220.6/web01/aweb/td001/td_00314.htm)
all list it as an early - so personally I'd go with that.
(Sorry, I know you're right Phil - but I couldn't read the other link - was all in "foreign" :-[)
'Tis funny (and frustrating!) though how some varieties occasionally change categories between suppliers! Anyone know why that is?
Quote from: philcooper on January 13, 2006, 20:58:13
Jimbo,
According to HZPC, the Dutch company that raised Adora, it is a first early.
More info at http://www.hzpc.com/rdb.asp?a=search&Usage=0&Earliness=1&SkinColor=0&FleshColor=0&Shape=0
Phil
Adora 'zeer vroeg' that's Dutch for very early.
The definitive answer.
If that's all the space you can spare for spuds you should grow earlies only.
If you can only grow earlies you should grow Red Dukes, if you have tastebuds anyway ;)
My answer would be to go for earlies too, but if you won't use them and you would use maincrop then maybe you should do that.
sorry OT, but lord splott - you dont happen to garden in cardiff do you?
Quote from: dandelion on January 13, 2006, 22:32:22
Adora 'zeer vroeg' that's Dutch for very early.
You click on the Union Jack to have zeer vroeg translated into very early
(Charlton Park gets information from me!)
The difference between 1st and second early is just one of degree and the view of the man/woman writing the description. Maincrop are different in that they require a change in day length to produce tubers but again, early, mid, late and very late maincrop are down to personal views
Phil
Phil
Thanks for the explanation Phil. Sorry to digress, but are you running the Potato Day at Whitchurch then? (Newbie here - can you all tell :-[) I normally go along to Charlton Park garden centre sometime afterwards, but the events at the potato weekend do sound tempting ::)
Anyone else going and/or meeting up?
And finally, sorry if I'm being a bit dim here but where is the Union Jack you mentioned for the translation? I did look, but couldn't see one...
For what it is worth - I grow first and second earlies and maincrops. If I was short of space, I would grown first and second earlies as many second earlies have good keeping qualities and in my opinion are more versatile than first earlies. You need first earlies though for speed and that new potato taste in July :)
Quotethat new potato taste in July
RC that's it ina nutshell =- or should that be potato skin! Mmmmmm......
I have been looking at Marshals veg catalogue. In there they have a good guide to the different types of spuds there are. I noted that there are some types refered to as 'extra early' which apparently produce their crop quicker than many 'ordinary' earlies. A planting in early march (weather permitting) would give you a crop by the end of may/ begining of june.
I am attracted by this since it means I have a good chance of getting a crop of something else into the same patch of ground afterwards. The varieties 'Swift' and 'Rocket' were given as being 'extra' early. Are these any good?
The way I understand it from reading the catalogues is that they are fast first earlies (I grew Rocket last year) when planted at the normal time and crop in July. You can make them extra earlies by planting them in February with protection - i.e. lots of fleece etc to protect against the inevitable frosts that you are hoping to avoid the worst of by planting over Easter.
I stick my earlies in the greenhouse beds and in pots. That way they'll be harvested and eaten before I put anything else in there.
After reading your replies and getting completely confused i have gone for both first and mains again this year. Been down the nursery and got 15 tubers each of Rocket and Maris Piper (for a change from desiree). Nice sized healthy tubers, and bought by the kilo rather than the bag, so good value too.
Another thing has persuaded me to grow both again and that is a recent 'paper' reorganisation of the veg plot, leaving me with (in theory) a spare bed. I am tempted to give both sorts of spud their space and have 2 beds of potatoes rather than just one. If i can get the 'Rocket' going nice and early i should be able to get another crop of something in the 'early' bed once the potatoes have been dug up.
If you are pushed for space, Richard, then leaving fleece on for the entire crop, not just for frost protection, could result in a substantial increase in yield. Early trials with fleece found that potatoes were the most responsive crop to the beneficial effects of being constantly covered, with an almost doubling of kg. m-2, over a control crop.
I think I might try some fleece over mine ... if they ever get here... :'( ::)
John:
That sounds like a good idea. Might try it. Thanks.
Svea,
Although one is Lord of Splott, to satisfy one's allotment needs, one has to repair to Cyncoed (also in Cardiff), as one does not want to let the neighbours know that one dirties one's hands from time to time!
Jimbo (Lord) of Splott
Quote from: CityChick on January 14, 2006, 20:30:33
...... are you running the Potato Day at Whitchurch then? ...... I normally go along to Charlton Park garden centre sometime afterwards.......
CC,
Yes I run the Whitchurch event (with a bit of help from local gardening groups and school PTAs)
The advantage of the day over buying from Charlton Park is that all the varieties are available by the tuber, Richard only has space to put around 40 out as individula tubers in the Garden Centre, plus there are the talks and cookery demos and the chance to talk to our potato expert (he grows over 380 varieties and has won an RHS Gold medal for them - with only a small amount of help from me!) and lots of other growers.
A few on the board have threatened to attend
Phil
PS Sorry, my mistake, the Union Jack is on the other Dutch website www.potato.nl (http://www.potato.nl) for details of a variety, just type the name into the search window.
:) I grow my early potatoes (rocket, swift and Karlena) under fleece for the earliest crops outside. I also try some in the greenhouse in a box, though watch out for blight! Swift has short stems and is particularly suited to growing under cover.
I am going to try and get a potato together in the Lincoln Area next year Phil. I have had a word with my lottie sec and a few others and it is interesting what you say about the PTAs. I would never have thought about them.
RC
I know a man who would be happy to supply you in the Lincoln area - he's got 143 varieties of me plus 25 of them as organically grown
Thanks Phil - you pm'd me details when I first cautiously mooted the idea November/December time. Might get organised in time for next Jan ;D Unfortunately, my lottie society does not get on with the main local lottying organisation, so I am going have to put in more of the initial hard work setting things up. Confident I can do it though.
I went to Charlton Park in Wantage at the weekend. They'd already sold out of quite few varieties, i wanted to get some International Kindneys and there was none left, got Arran Pilot instead.
RC,
If you have problems like that I hope I can help, the PM facility seems to have disappeared - can anyone help?
Keef,
Charlton Park hasn't run out, they are keeping most of the stock back for the Hampshire Potato Day to make sure we don't run out
Phil
Dan will restore your pm ability if you ask him by email. BUT your recipient will have to make sure their pm inbox is empty to receive it! ;D