Allotments 4 All

Just wanted to share this Lotti experience, I lifted my Pink Fir Apple potatoes yesterday or should I say I dug the bed where they were planted, a 34' row yielded not 1 potato fit to eat :o . The remains were mainly just paper thin skins a few really smelly rotting tubers but the red worms I couldn't have asked for more if I had been cultivating them :) so on a positive note ( I am a positive sort of gal) without doubt the soil was much improved and very few weeds now that's a bonus as our site suffers very badly with marestail.
However a couple of Lotti neighbours did pass comment about all these telly programs telling us how easy it all is just bung the stuff in the ground and forget about it - well this is my 3rd summer at the Lotti and I'd say it's not quite that easy.

Life never is like it is on telly, if only it was  :D

Sorry to hear about you spud failure but remember the mantra “It will be better next year” honest.

Oh yes, it HAS to be better next year. If not, I think alot of people will become discouraged.
I'll plod on and take any failures as beginners (Un) luck  ::)

Lauren  :)

My PFA's and King Edwards are still in the ground, sorry to hear about yours Susie, I just hope mine are all right.  ;D ;D ;D

Quote from: Susiebelle on October 01, 2007, 10:48:59
Just wanted to share this Lotti experience, I lifted my Pink Fir Apple potatoes yesterday or should I say I dug the bed where they were planted, a 34' row yielded not 1 potato fit to eat

Had you suffered from blight or do you think it was the red worms that caused the problem?

Pink Fir Apple are notorious for Blight. Better to choose a tougher variety next time.

Definitely Blight Barnowl, I cut the tops down as recommended on this site but to no avail, interesting point real food made about Pink fir being notorious another thing I wasn't aware of, but I shall definitely give them a miss next year and will practice the mantra - It Will, It Will It really will........

Try Anya Susiebelle, they are bred from PFA and Desiree... not quite as nice but are an early main and should be ready for digging at the end of July, thus missing most of the blight... if you took the PFA tops too early you wouldn't get any tubers as they only form as the daylength shortens...
:-\

Anya looks good and /or perhaps Rooster- not the same, but an early maincrop meant to be very blight resistant

Anya are delicious!
I planted them as second earlies, they got blight along with every other spud on the whole site, but I cut down the foliage as advised and they were absolutely fine :)

I agree Anya are great..Had PFA this year and got nothing...had blight along with the rest ...

Have been growing them for years, but they aren't quite as nice as PFA
::)

I prefer Anya to PFA, they (PFA) remind me of eating brazil nuts..... :-\