Allotments 4 All

need some advice please. i have read a couple of books on plotting now and they all say that you shouldn't put manure where you are going to grow potatoes. now the plotters down my plot all put trench with manure and seem to do ok. i tried trenching last year and had a bad crop. what do most people do

I think that the advice is that you shouldn't use fresh manure.  I'd expect to put well-rotted manure or compost in a potato trench.

Quote from T&M website:

Potatoes grow best in rich soil containing plenty of well rotted manure or compost (do not use fresh compost to minimise keeled slug problems) and do not lime the soil to minimise scab blemishes on developing tubers.
Planting times are not critical and are dependent on weather, soil conditions and regional variations but below is a general guide. Use our specially blended, high potash Potato Fertiliser when planting.

We have great difficulty getting manure of any kind so now use other means.  For potatoes we use "Spuds Galore" from N A Kays - works very well for us.

Wicker,

What about compost?

Phil

Grow some comfrey, and then when you plant your spuds place tubers and top of compost made with comfrey, Comfrey is high in potash which helps root growth

Quote from: powerspade on January 04, 2006, 22:30:39
Grow some comfrey, and then when you plant your spuds place tubers and top of compost made with comfrey

Can someone tell my comfrey to produce leaves in time to be planted with the spuds?!?  ;)

I read that you don't want too much nitrogen available to your spuds or they get too watery and break up when you cook 'em. I can buy that sort at the shops!

Compost for me every time...

I`m far too lazy to dig trenches,I just dib a hole in well fed soil from the last year.

But was is interesting is this lime thing-for years I followed that advice and then Mr Flowerdew(who is not thatcrazy suggested it was better to lime in certain conditions than not.

My soil is so free draining I have to water in the rain and liming last year made a small but noticeable difference in the crop without any increase in `scab`

It never gets easier ???

To trench, or not to trench...

What method is best for potatoes ???

I grew potatoes last year but did not get a great harvest.

Will be doing a 'search' on this site, as I know someone (Tim perhaps?)

gave a good table of earlies, main etc..

Debs

I'd like to see that too.

Last year's potatoes grew under black plastic with a mulch of spent hops (as a clearing crop). They were nothing to boast about, the Mouse enjoyed a free larder, strangely only munched the bigger spuds.

This year I'll follow some of these ideas, especially:

Wrap each spud in comfrey (mine has leaves all year round, it's Bocking from OGC, or maybe it's just mild here)
Convince someone to buy me a lovely potato planter like wardy's (envy) so no trenching, or just dig a hole
Well rotted compost over the top
Mulch lavishly instead of earthing up
Keep the number of growing sprouts per spud to one or two which is

supposed to mean bigger spuds
No black plastic (fallen out of love with it)
No watering (concern for the water table although my neighbours think nothing of sprinkling all afternoon  :o)



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Having read all these notes, might do a soil test for the first time and add lime if nesc. a couple of weeks before planting time.

If the spuds ain't happy with their lot, then it's off to the Farmers Market for me  ;D

Quote from: cleo on January 06, 2006, 18:51:59
My soil is so free draining I have to water in the rain

Spent hops will transform your free draining soil into a giant sponge cleo  ;D
You know where to find them! 8)

I've always used well rotted manure without problems.

Sorry Phil, only just caught up with this thread - yes we do dig in compost - usually our own.

and don't lime before spuds as it encourages scab

Hear hear ..Fresh lime and spuds dont mix ..Set them in plenty of muck..

Who says Mr Bob Flowerpot ain't barmy ?? :) :) :)  Jim