Allotments 4 All

Well I finally decided, today was the day when I would 'empty' my container. This was my first attempt at growing them this way....to my delight, collected one & a half pounds of gorgeous red/pink skinned 'Roseval' of varying sizes (have taken picture but still not worked out how to post them into the group :-[.....which I don't think was too bad considering it was my first attempt and I used 2 'sets' I'd kept back from some I'd bought & mostly eaten, in Waitrose earlier in the year....I set them rather high in the bucket and the bucket was not as tall as it ought to have been....these are a salad potato with a lovely waxy texture.

did another one a week or so later but in a taller bucket and set the potatoes much lower down......will leave them a bit longer  :)

I'm really chuffed......H.P.

 ;D Well done to you ;D I had two tatties left over from the Lottie and decided to put them in Asda flower buckets, haven't a clue what they are (spuds that is) but they are growing merriely. I did put my hand into the bag and asked it to give a cough whilst I pulled one out but it was walnut size :-[

It's now been a couple of weeks past and they have flowered, I'll give them another few weeks and hope for a good harvest. ;D

Well done!

I tried a few pots in pots - all Lady Chrystal - and the yields were good and the spuds actually tasted better than their companions from the plot!

Will definitely go down that route again next year.

And isn't it great that there are no orphan mini ones to come up in the middle of your parsnips and onions becos you didn't clear them all out of the ground...

would just mention that the 'Roseval' havn't flowered at all but as they'd been in the bucket (which was a Waitrose flower bucket) & not quite as tall as the Asda ones......for about 12 weeks - just couldn't wait any longer  :D

the other one 'still cooking' is an Asda bucket and has 2 maincrop P.F.A. in them - these have just about finished flowering - will leave them a bit longer.

HP, email the pic to me!  ;D

 :-\ Being in a Waitrose Bucket just may tip the balance :-\ we will see ;D ;D

And here are Hot Potato's spuds!  ;D

I wanted to grow some Roseval but couldn't find 'seed'.  E-mailed a Scottish company thinking they were seed merchants but it transpired they were wholesalers of potatoes.  They did say they would let me have some of their seed though so next year  will be back onto them for some.  Some companies are just lovely - and some are complete $£&*s - see LloydsTSB.

Something  else for me to grow next year :) Bought flower buckets from Morrisons ISLE OF WIGHT!!!!  Would have bought more but I think Joshua's Dad thought we had enough in the car, we also bought some plants back from botanical gadns.
Buckets cost 8 for 99p. I know some members have had much better deals but couldn't get any at our local superstores.
Lorna

PLEASE STOP THIS TALK ABOUT BUCKETS :'(    Pleeeeeease?  I've still not managed to locate any >:(

;D

Oops, got carried away there.....smashing tats, btw!

Lish.. AAH!! ;D

E.J. thanks for posting the pic!.....they certainly taste as good as they look and the 'seed ones' were free!!....just a couple I'd kept back from some I'd bought to eat the Spring.

My 'buckets' were freebies.....my green ones came from Waitrose and come in 2 different heights but the same diameter & the black ones - which are also  taller but the same diameter, come from Asda and they're their flower buckets so not that big really. If you're around at the time they're changing the flowers, you can sometimes be lucky and they're glad to give you a few.

In Waitrose, the first time I asked a chap in charge of the fruit & veg (which is near the flowers) he said they couldn't let me have any :'(....waited a few days and asked a different chappie as he was 'unloading' some flowers....he said 'of course, how many do you want' and proceeded to nip out the back and came back with at least a dozen....I brought home 9 on that occasion - the most I could carry as I'd not got the car and had walked to the shops.

I just don't have room for 'bigger containers' really in the tiny bit of space I've got. Altho I've a big container with sweet peas in and am growing runner beans in a trough 3ft. long. I'm growing 7 leeks in a bucket the same size that seem to be doing ok so far!

Got lots of other pots too with flowers etc. in

Encouraged by this, and the lovely photograph, I turned out my sack this afternoon and wasn't all that impressed, especially as I had just dug up the same variety in the ground. In the bag were several good sized Charlottes and a mass of tiny ones just starting to grow and not much in between. I can see this method is useful for those with little ground, but I propbably won't do it again.