Allotments 4 All

Still going, but getting floury. So best for Chips?  For Salads, best undercook a bit.

Doing well Tim, don't like the taste myself, too much like Brazil nuts!

I grow the cross bred Anya , best of both worlds?

have just planted my pfa never grown them before looking forward to them long wait though  :( ;D ;D

Got mine in today aswell.... as well as the Desiree's, King Edwards and Maris Pipers.... best of all I planted alphabetically (ok, "best of all" if you share my OCD love of putting things in alphabetical order..... or Dewey Decimal....... Dewey Decimal is good too.....)

chrisc

Just love Brazils, Deb!

Yes, Anya's great, but I like the lateness of PFA too.

Quote from: tim on April 13, 2009, 16:04:01
Just love Brazils, Deb!

Yes, Anya's great, but I like the lateness of PFA too.

Sometimes I thi
nk we only grow it to wave two fingers at the supermarkets though.,.....

Chips, I said?

I still have loads left in a sack in the lottie shed Tim.     ;D ;D ;D

Are PFA a good cropper. I've got 7 to plant if I can find anywhere to plant them. What's the latest for them to go in.
Janet

Given a chance, they can crop heavily.

Ours have only just gone in. They are a late variety.

I have one line of them in. Your pic is tempting me to buy a deep fat fryer!!

I'm growing them for the first time because I love them.  Due to having a whole plot to clear I have put rocket, pentland javelin, charlotte and pfa all in yesterday, I hope they'll be ok.  I jsut thought it was best to get them in even though I'm bit late for the earlies.  When will they crop do you think?

Lushy x

They'll be fine, earlies just means they take less weeks to produce tubers... 10-15 weeks depending. PFA are a late main... they don't even think of making tubers until the nights draw in again... they make a lot of top growth so if the frosts hold off in October you can get a very good crop.  :)

Fat fryer? We do them in a saucepan with a vented lid - starting from COLD!

They'll be fine. I've planted in May before now, and got a crop, but you do need a reasonable summer to get away with that.

I moved on to Ratte, very similar nutty flavour but they are  no knobbles on them so easier to peel.. :) If you are growing either for the first time keep on eye on them later in  the season. I find they have a tendency to set some tubers near to the bottom of the plant just under the surface of the soil so they  need earthing up then to avoid them going green or getting frosted.. Maybe this is because I am on light sandy soil. As anyone else found the same?

Peeling, of course, is when cooked. So no great hassle.

Quote from: growmore on April 16, 2009, 10:38:10
If you are growing either for the first time keep on eye on them later in  the season. I find they have a tendency to set some tubers near to the bottom of the plant just under the surface of the soil so they  need earthing up then to avoid them going green or getting frosted.. Maybe this is because I am on light sandy soil. As anyone else found the same?

Yes. Be especially careful if there's been heavy rain or you water  (like me) with buckets - it can wash away the thin surface covering and leave the tubers exposed. As growmore says Keep earthing them up.

PS Why peel them?  I don't think I've ever bothered to peel PFA.

Quote from: growmore on April 16, 2009, 10:38:10
I find they have a tendency to set some tubers near to the bottom of the plant just under the surface of the soil so they  need earthing up then to avoid them going green or getting frosted.. Maybe this is because I am on light sandy soil. As anyone else found the same?

Yes, they tend to form tubers on the soil surface, immediately under the mulch I use. By the end of the season, the mulch has disappeared leaving the tubers vulnerable to rats or frost. If I'm not lifting them immediately, I'll give them another mulching at this stage, probably when the blight appears (it always does) and I cut back the foliage.

I didn't plant mine until June last year and they turned out fine, I don't think I'll leave them that late again though and I've got Ratte for the first time this year Growmore, I did have a few green PFA last year so thanks for the tip.  ;D ;D ;D