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Is it too early to plant my first earlies,

got 3kg lady christl

3kg maris bard

all chitted and ready to plant.

ps im in south yorkshire.

should i put them in ,or wait a little longer? ??? ???

our first , first earlies, rocket, are going in today, under cover, in ground that has been warmed with cardboard, then they will have fleece put on top, just in case this cold snap arrives  ;D
just remembered, already got some undercover for the spud challenge  ;D

I'm a bit further south than both of you. Normally, I'd have put in a short row of Lady C by now, but I've only been able to get onto the soil in the last week or two. First ones going in this afternoon I hope.

Why not plant a few now and leave the rest for another week or two? (It's like this every year - shall I? shan't I?)

I was going to plant this weekend but its supposed to be turning cold again end of week so i might hang fire.

In South Yorkshire I'd still give it a fortnight... longer if in the hills...  :-\

i have a question if the spuds are going into the ground does it matter that a cold snap is coming, after all any vagrant spuds from last season have been there all winter and would surely sprout. why do we need to fleece the ground if a cold snap is coming and they haven't got any top growth yet ??? i'm a bit confused.

You're quite right, as long as it doesn't last, as there are no tops the tubers will be fine...  ;D

The criteria for planting is to judge what the weather will be like after the new shoots emerge above soil level..

thanks for the replies guys, it help to clear up the confusion

I would suggest waiting another couple of weeks or even longer to give them the best chance. I've tried various times between late Feb and April over the years but they still seem to be ready at the same time!

I am going to wait for this supposed cold spell to pass.  Mine will hopefully going in the ground in the next fortnight.

Quote from: KathrynH on February 28, 2009, 14:44:54
I would suggest waiting another couple of weeks or even longer to give them the best chance. I've tried various times between late Feb and April over the years but they still seem to be ready at the same time!

I was told that about planting vegetables every two weeks, they tend to catch up and still all come at the same time.

Although I've planted 9 earlies under cover for the spud challenge the rest of mine won't be going for another 2/3 weeks.  ;D ;D ;D

I remember someone on my site planting earlies in February and getting away with it, but it was a very mild winter and he was on the far side of the site where there's no waterlogging. I'm not inclined to risk it yet. I haven't even bought mine since the shop was out of Duke of York. They've promised to get more in so I'll go back this week.

we have a pond near our back door, on the north side of the house, permanent shade. when the froggies start spawning, I start planting my 1st earlies (not yet) ;)

I have my first earlies chitting in the greenhouse. I plan to put these in the ground in two weeks time.

I haven't fertilised the ground yet, I was planning on adding a light sprinkling of chicken manure pellets to the trench that I am going to dig. That sound ok?

sounds fine!

Quote from: ManicComposter on March 01, 2009, 13:43:06
I have my first earlies chitting in the greenhouse. I plan to put these in the ground in two weeks time.

I haven't fertilised the ground yet, I was planning on adding a light sprinkling of chicken manure pellets to the trench that I am going to dig. That sound ok?

now that is good advice 2 or 3 weeks for mine no rush let the beds warm up

We won't have a garden centre in our local town soon as the only one is closing down.
I bought seed spuds in Homebase as they, at least, kept them in a cool area. Trouble is, like a lot of the 'sheds', they clear the Christmas stuff out & in with the gardening stuff. By now my spud chits are right for planting out but with the predicted snow  >:(, there's no way.
Still, I've dug the trench & 6" muck in ready. How long is this cold spell gonna last?
???