My pots for christmas have now arrived, and I'm wondering where to plant them.... how long do you have to leave the ground if it's been affected with blight??
I took all my spuds out mid June - no crop at all from the pink fir apples... still, looking forward with optimism I ordered the Christmas spuds and they've now arrived - and I'm struggling for space.
Alison
alison, the article about these spuds I read says put in bags or buckets, got any bin liners? ;D
Don't know about Christmas - my mid July planted ones cropped in mid September!
I've pink firs in a potting compost bag turned inside out which I rolled up then gradually unrolled and added more earth to as the plant grew.
The potatoes in the 'designer' sack on the left are Milva - went in a month earlier than the Pink Firs in the compost bag on the right.
We harvested the Milva yesterday (the haulms were going yellow) and were quite pleased with the results - a clean and reasonably large crop. Will be holding back on the Pink Firs for a while yet.
I would have thought mid June was far too early to have harvested PFA being a late main crop, I am looking for it to be harvested early autumn, but what do I know, wheres Phil. ;D ;D ;D
Hi
My wife is bending my ear about doing pots for Xmas, but I'm not sure where to start.
Do you need a specific variety? Do you need to chit them before planting?
When the cold weather comes do they need to be in a greenhouse?
I'm only a beginner, but from what I have read, been told...
They don't need chitting, best to use first earlies and yes, take them into the greenhouse if risk of frost.
I have also been advised by a potato nursery - no names mentioned! That the potatoes that youcan buy for Christmas planting are extortionately expensive, so he actually said if it were he, get some decent new potatoes from a greengrocers and use them!! I have ordered a bag of organic ones from Riverford! So will be using them.
i am not going to be getting mine for another 2 weeks was not planning on putting them in till end of Aug is that 2 late?
I'm planting my Christmas spuds on August 21st in the ground covered with cloches.
PFA need to be in until the end of Oct at least Kev!
:-X
Cheers Dad, I thought they had to be in for a while yet. ??? ;D ;D ;D
Barnowl - how many potatoes did you plant in each bag?
What's the norm?
I grew Christmas Spuds last year and they got blight. The owners of the adjacent plot had left their tomato plants in the ground only 10 feet away and they got blight which I assume transferred to mine.
They looked great on the 1th Sept but blighted by 10th Oct.
I shall try again this year, with more hope than confidence.
I put three or four seed potatoes in each container - depended on their size.
It's important to water the containers (they dry out surprisingly quickly) and regularly include liquid feed in the water or the spuds will taste a bit insipid.
P.S. Re Pink Firs - when I said I'd be leaving them 'for while yet' I should perhaps have said that means Sept/October (if the blight don't strike).
I've got tomatoes up at the allotment this year and plan to take them out quite early in case of blight transferring to the spuds.
The pfa got blight - so had to come out in June, otherwise I'd have kept them in...
There's no risk of frost here (west Cornwall) - mind you this is an unusual year ::). So I'll be planting the pots in the ground. So - according to Tim I'll be getting new potatoes mid Sept. I don't think I can hold off planting as the instructions said to plant as soon as they arrive.
Hmm - maybe will be in sacks too and kept from the veggie patch seeing as I've been blighted with blight.
Thanks all for replies
Alison
Last year I tried to grow Christmas spuds outside but they all died off when it got wet, so this year I’m going to use the black flower buckets from Morrisons and keep them in the cold greenhouse.
I plan to plant mine like cambourne7 late Aug, normally first earlies are ready after about 12 weeks, so I will give them a little longer because of the weather.
which variety are you all growing? i've been looking at getting some mimi from dobbies, anyone tried these?
Sorry Alimo I misunderstood what you said. ??? ;D ;D ;D
Mimi are nice, but really small. Ideal for salad and potato salad!
Agree, Mimi are lovely, tiny red spuds with compact foliage so v good for pots.