Where is Kev?
Hope so but ours won't go in until tuesday :)
what is the potato challenge ?(newbie here)
Hiya, Sandra. Corneykev usually starts off a potato challenge about now, just for a laugh. We all start a couple of spuds , outside, in bags or something, just to see if we can get very early potatoes. I'm sure he'll be along later ;D
Doesn't it usually start on valentines day
So Kev's a romantic at heart ;D.
Just done a search & last year it was w/e of 19/20th Feb.
Hi all, I was going to put something on here yesterday but I was busy
To anyone new, I usually do a Spud challenge where we try to warm the ground and get a handful of spuds in early then cloche with bottles, fleece etc as a bit of fun
But as the snow came down when it did, it made it awkward for peeps to get on their plots, let alone warm the ground
It would have been this weekend but as said it was hard for some peeps
I did put some bubblewrap, panes of plastic and glass down the other day and covered with a cloche, but I still haven't bought my earlies yet
I will buy and put a few in next weekend
Any newbies, its just a bit of fun, so only pop in a few if you can spare them, if anything goes wrong don't blame me ::)
It's just about warming the bare ground, keeping it covered frost free and trying to get a few earlies before your other lottie holders
Let battle comence.
:D ;) :P :-*
Well all righty then.... Me and the grandson, young Blake, are in. :)
I'm sure I can spare a tatty or two.... and I do happen to know of a place on the lotty with some black stuff on it.
We'll be wellied up and ready for the weekend. 8)
It is not just a bit of fun. Almost everyone ends up with a prize because they turn into a lovely meal of freshly dug potatoes at the beginning of June.
We had quiet a hard frost just after I planted them last year, I had already done it before everyone else decided to wait. But they did very well and I really enjoyed eating my early spuds. Somehow those few first home grown potatoes taste the best.
I kept mine cloched under bottle cloches and fleece, and put in plastic bottles with water in to catch the daytime warmth.
Which type of potatoes do you use for this or is that a secret part of the challenge?
Quote from: anemone on February 20, 2012, 21:34:09
Which type of potatoes do you use for this or is that a secret part of the challenge?
Hmmm. It seems no-one wants to tell...........
So I won't either... :-*
Naah.
I have Pentland Javelin as first earlies, so I'll try one of those.
No-dig. Straight on the top of the soil, buried in straw from last year, and the whole thing covered with weed-suppressing fabric.......
All we have to do tomorrow is to saunter down with a tatty and place it in there, water and away.... ;D
You lot are proper in for a contest. ;) I'll be brewing some compost tea just as soon as the temperatures improve...
As our seed potatoes are late being delivered, we have bought a few swift which will be going in the hot bed along with the purple majesty which have 3" chits :o , all covered with a cloche on sunday , too wet and cold today ;D
I use Rocket and others Swift as these are the quickest to come up, the secret is getting the soil warm and keeping it that way even when they first show their heads, the only rules are no poly's or greenhouses as they have an advantage on the rest of us but hey if you use them then that's up to you, it would be handy to have this on sticky but I don't know if I have enough cred for this. :-X :D ;)
Sticky it is...
Are you joining us, Dan? ;D
OMG! :-[
I reported your post Kev, to get a mods attention...
I didn't expect......... Himself. :o
Sorry mods. ;D Haha! 8)
Yesterday I put 2 Foremost in buckets, first year of trying these, they were the best chitted...can I firkle yet?
Quote from: small on February 24, 2012, 18:13:47
Yesterday I put 2 Foremost in buckets, first year of trying these, they were the best chitted...can I firkle yet?
;D ;D ;D
You keep your firkling until later Small
Cheers for that Dan
And nice one Nigel, I hope its not too windy where you are, I went to Rhyl with my mates in 1981 and the bloody tent blew up a tree after the second day, off subject but I just thought of it as you live close by. :P :D
Quote from: Nigel B on February 24, 2012, 17:55:39
OMG! :-[
I reported your post Kev, to get a mods attention...
I didn't expect......... Himself. :o
Sorry mods. ;D Haha! 8)
Phew that's a relief- now I understand what happened. I though you'd had a lover's tiff ;)
I planted 2 Red DOY and a Foremost under a cloche today. ;D
Finally got the swift in the hot bed, under a cloche ;D
Can I tag along? I don't have early chitted spuds but about 15 growing their heads off in pots going in the ground tomorrow. 3 have been in the poly a week. No heating and not much water- drought over here......But the downside is mine are Nicola early mains that have got in their heads to gallop away since last November despite my best attempts to hold them back. So I 've got two rows to be planted out this weekend. Outside the goalposts but it'll be interesting to see how they do by June ;)
Tag away, but we only put a few in, in case we lose them to the frosts, so if your puttting in that many make sure you can cover them all. ::)
I shall plant them deep and have fleece at the ready. Think they'll suffer from lack of water although i do puddle in well. They are sitting in pots in the open at the moment...... ::)
Forgot to put ours in ... again...
Tomorrow, For sure. ;D
I put in a whole row of homeguard yesterday- 14 potatoes in all, chitted with about 15mm growth. I have no fleece so hope there will be no more frost. I know that doesn't sound likely , but I tend to just bury them again each time a frost is forecast.
16 plants went in this morning up to their noses and now covered with fleece........... ;D ;D
A cold snap at the moment so make sure there well covered, they won't be up fo ages yet. ???
Ok mine are going in today..if my wellies are long enough for me to wade to the raised beds!!!
XX Jeannine
Finally put ours in.... and here's the plan... Shhhhh!
No-dig. Potatoes laid on the pre-warmed soil and covered tightly with straw. This pile then covered with two layers of black fabric, but with no holes cut in the top. This is the secret bit, so don't tell anyone...
By not cutting holes in the top of the black fabric,it should stay a bit warmer in there, and the leaves can't get out until I decide to let them. :) That way I can avoid frosts. :)
Then, when the coast is clear, I'll whip out my penknife and open up a hole for each plant, and ta-daah! ;D Huge plants with many many potatoes on them... 8)
Not going to work, is it. ::)
foto sin fa sis :-X
Quote from: pumpkinlover on March 05, 2012, 21:01:51
foto sin fa sis :-X
Noooo no no no no.. :D
The idea is that I can control it just a bit by not letting it see the light until after its frost-safe. Just like they haven't yet broken the soil ... and that's only if there is going to be a return to general frostyness.. I just imagine them in a warm dark place right now, reaching up towards where they will find light....
.... In fact I'm going down there in a little while to see if I can hear the straw rustling as they search for a way to the surface. ;D
On yer bike Nigel ::)
Mine are in, picture me standing ankle deep in water planting spuds, I must be mad................
So who is going to see the first green I wonder.....
XX Jeannine
ive put a whole ton of spuds in at the weekend (well it feels like it)
Anyone here grown Pentland Dell before?
first time for me and wonder what they are like!
Two out of three of mine are showing their heads this morning. :D
hotbeds are brilliant ;D
Noticed today that one or two of my homeguard are just coming through. As I'm about to leave the country I'm hoping they can take care of themselves from here on.
I uncovered mine yesterday as it was Sunny and forgot to cover again ???
The two RDOY are a few inches up and the Foremost has yet to break the ground
;D
I earthed up the two Red Duke Of yorks yesterday,They are about 6 inches up, no sign of the foremost though. ??? 8)
They are about 8 inches up, and earthed up, the foremost has just popped up yesterday. ;D
My two RDOY have outgrown their plastic cloche so I've earthed up and built a plastic, glass makeshift sort of thingy whatsit. :-\ ??? ;D
Is anyone else playing. :D
Our swift are covered, Kev. We've had a few cold nights around here lately, I'll uncover them next week when I get back from York and measure them ;D
Ahh, there you are, I thought I was playing Billy no mates for a minute. ;D
All right, Billy, just us two, then ;D ;D
My 'rocket' are all up, foliage about 6 - 8 inches high
We are talking about the spuds Tone. :o ;)
Could be frosts at the weekend!!!
Mine have outgrown their cloches, so I will have to make up something soon. :-\
Couldn't get there to look, emergency babysitting. We'll try to get there friday, they're on plot 2 and we've so much to do on 1, it's being left to it's own devices a bit ;D
Yes I'm playing with my Nicola which have been outdoors from Feb. They've been frosted.., chewed by slugs and those under 3 layers of fleece at night look happier than those under 2!
2 layers of fleece are not frost proof..... :(
The 3 plants in the poly are much happier but don't count. Tell me the dig date but mine aren't naturally earlies and I shan't push my luck again. Next year early starters will go in the pot! ::)
The dig up date is a bit later this year, it is the weekend of the 9th/10th of June, (15 weeks), some earlies are ready after 13 weeks, but as the ground was cold when we started it will take a bit longer, especially as our Northern/Midland cousins in the coldlands had adverse weather conditions. :P ;)
Too true we have and the hail showeers continue....I've pumped over 300/400 gallons of water into my pond in the last 10 days and every [installed] bin is full. Actually I exaggerate because I've just emptied another to make room for the next onslaught. ::)
The habit of uncovering plants during the day has not served me well as the ice has done damage and especially to the spuds. The ones grown from TPS have done well but are still snug in the conservatory.
Hope it cheers up a bit before daughter no.3's wedding 18th. May ::)
The spuds are about 6" tall so we earthed them up. The nadine in an another hotbed that has been covered in plastic are about 10" tall so we've uncovered them and put some fleece on them 'cos they'll be wimpey ;D
My foremost is about 6 inches up and my two RDOY are aout 12 inches+ I have put my new fleece tunnel over the top of them. 8)
Might well try a hotbed next year.... didn't bother with the comp this year but do have half a dozen Rocket in pots in the GH nad have been struck by the thought that I could probably plant a few on plot in February if they had a big enough pile of poo and a really big lantern cloche.... well I've got bits of spare glass from GH rebuild and almost unlimited horse poo available... hmmm... it's all a bit Victorian Kitchen Garden......
Not sure if this is the right thread for my bit but as you all do potatoes here goes.
How do I know when they are ready to pour out of their growing bags?
hi my potatos have flowers on is that good and they are outside but in large tub of compost , mal in billingshurst sussex , yorkshire man in sussex .
I had a firkle, ( Kev's word, I think, ) last week. Dig around a bit and see how big your spuds are, you can always nick a few and re-bury the roots ;D
Mine are getting really tall. They are sandwiched between a wall and an old window. Soil a bit claggy for a firkle at the moment.
How big must a potato be to be edible?
Quote from: Digeroo on May 10, 2012, 09:05:01
How big must a potato be to be edible?
What ever takes your fancy..I've eaten them as small as marbles and they are as edible as the bigger ones.
I've never dug them out in purpose that small..it would be wastefull to do so, just resulted to eat for not wanting to waste a single little bit.. ;D
I like the little ones ..they just handy chucked onto frying pan..they cook so quickly amongst the other things.
I understood they were poisonous when still small. What I cannot remember is whether this is half an inch or quarter of an inch.
Quote from: Digeroo on May 10, 2012, 09:30:45
I understood they were poisonous when still small. What I cannot remember is whether this is half an inch or quarter of an inch.
???..first time I've heard of it.. ??? I know that green potatoes are..but as for size?
edit to add; http://chestofbooks.com/food/ingredients/Potato-Compilation/Botany-Physical-And-Chemical-Composition-Potato-Part-2.html
I can't seem to find anything about size being issue....every where I look for info it they just talk about 'young/baby' potatoes..or only poisonous info to go with potatoes is regarding their berries or green potatoes.
I pop mine in the M/W for 2-3 min.. No piercing, no plate. Chop in 1/2 and pour over melted butter with basil. They go with a hot or cold meal.
Wash well 1st of course.
Mine are outgrowing their fleece tunnel, I might give them a firkle later if we get a dry spell, you can eat them as small as you like I would have thought, but I'll let mine get to at least nearly table tennis ball size first. ;D
My three plants have been left open to the elements since Saturday as they have outgrown the fleece tunnel and are doing OK, I had a firkle and one of the RDOY plants has small oval shaped spuds the size of half a egg. ;D
Don't know if I'm early but this is from 1 plant in the hot bed today ;D
I am curious.
What is the latest you have planted potatoes. Some kind soul left me some seed spuds on my picnic table yesterday. I think because I had said earlier that I hadn`t bothered to order seed spuds this year and only had a few saved ones and 4 specials from a friend.
I wasn`t going to plant more than the few I had already but having received these anonymous ones and I do have a space I thought I should put them in. Never done it this laye before unless in a tub for the greenhouse.
XX Jeannine
I had some vanessa over so have planted them up in potato sacks to 'see' ;D
Well I dug up 1 plant of Foremost yesterday, 24 various sized spuds weighing 844g. 8)
Just been out with my spade and dug up one potato. 14 lovely small new potatoes. I will enjoy with salmon, mangetout and parsley sauce. Mega.
Many thanks to Key for inspiring me.
I'm having mine soon, steamed with my garden mint and pork loins in my own BBQY sauce. :P 8) ;D
Absolutely Fabulous. :P ;D
I must have had sixth sense somehow when the challenge came up, so didn't enter.
The first time my Lady C's have let me down. I had a firkle and nothing, so dug one up as planted on March 16th or thereabouts. One tuba forming at the end of a root and not another one in sight. :(
Leaving them all in and will use Cara's as second earlies.
Pouting Ninny
I dug one RDOY plant and scavenged from another yesterday, that will give me a few more meals for a couple of days. ;D