Allotments 4 All

I am about to use last years potato bed for this years as I have no where else and time has been short.

I know there's a risk involved as I should be rotating, but one guy a couple of plots up has been growing spuds in the same place for several years now. I guess the commercial growers don't rotate either?

Potato sinner?

Marshalls do a potato fertiliser so you can use the same ground twice. Not sure when you have to apply it though - it comes in granules. Maybe it's on their website?

Hope this helps.

Found it on their website but only as part of a kit ...

http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/rkmain.asp?PAGEID=20670&STK_PROD_CODE=1050-3744&CTL_CAT_CODE=M12111&XPAGENO=2

Yes many people on my site grow their potatoes in the same beds every year. And these are Irish folk who grow literally several hundredweight of tubers, so I respect their ability. I have never thought to ask them about their method, as I rotate as standard anyway.

I've been in the same position a couple of times; I avoid growing the same crop repeatedly in the same spot as far as I can, but if I have to do it two years running I do, and it's never done any harm. I assume you didn't have blight or anything last year.

no blight, only wireworm. Apparently, the wireworm is not so bad in following years as they are lifted with the spuds. Last year the ground was newly broken, hence why the wireworm.

Thanks for the replies, good to know im not a sinner. ;D

It takes about five years to get rid of wireworm, so you'll still have it, but hopefully not quite so badly.

Think you will find some where a lot cheaper to buy fertiliser from, and a good many things, than Marshalls.  Join your local allotment association if you have one or not allready done so, you will get things a lot cheaper.  Just looked at the marshalls site they are asking £8 for 5kg of potato fertiliser, I got 25kg from my allotment association for £9.50, you could say a bit of a bargain.

All the experts say you shouldn't plant the same crop in the same place in successive years, but I've got away with it in the past out of accident rather than design.  That said I've always made sure I move them on the following year.  It's not ideal, but unless you had a dose of blight on that ground you should be OK, almost certainly OK for earlies....

1. Blight does stay in the ground

2. Wireworms do

3. Other potato diseases such as eelworm do

4. Fertilisers are a short term solution to the depletiation of nutrients that all plants take from the ground; potatoes taking more than most

Ideally therefore, rotate with as long a period of time between repeat growing of the same the crop to prevent the build up of disease and the removal of specific nutrients

AND

when planting potatoes, incorporate as much organic material as possible

Phil