Allotments 4 All

Okay.  Three weeks on and the first shoots are showing.   ;D  I'm going to keep the cloche cover on for a while yet to keep my cat off but here's a photo with the cloche off.

G x

My shoots are starting to show too, but they're a much darker green than yours. Should I start worrying?

Quote from: Sylvan on April 05, 2009, 22:21:47
My shoots are starting to show too, but they're a much darker green than yours. Should I start worrying?

Well this is my first time too but I'd say no!   ;D

G x

Planted 8 leftover Charlotte tubers (2nd earlies) in an old black plastic dustbin today. This is a lot more than I planted in the same dustbin last year. There are holes in the bottom. First layer is some gravelly stones, then some bits of chopped up turf acquired by narrowing some beds, then some manure and allotment soil in which the tubers are planted.  Didn't buy any special compost this year so will be interested to see what kind of crop I get.

Just done my first earthing up on my Orla's planted 20th March, used b and q multi purpose compost and alpaca manure in a black bag

Don't worry about shoot colour Sylvan... stems/sprouts vary in colour with the variety.

Thanks saddad :-*

Four weeks old.

G x

My Orla after 3rd earthing up,  planted on 20th March

Today I decided that the shoots, the tallest being about 15cm, were ready for their first 'earthing up'

First I unrolled a bit of the compost sack until it was level with the tallest shoots.



Then I added handfuls of potting compost carefully around and over the plants until just the top leaves of the shortest plant were showing.



Then I gave them a good soaking with the watering can.



I've popped the cloche back on again as I'm still worried that my cat might sit on them.  And I expect that I'll be earthing them up once or twice more over the coming weeks.

G x

Looking good Georgie.  Swift by name and Swift by nature, eh? My Colleens, planted in the ground in late February, are not quite so advanced although I have earthed them up once.

Quote from: hopalong on April 14, 2009, 14:56:19
Looking good Georgie.  Swift by name and Swift by nature, eh? My Colleens, planted in the ground in late February, are not quite so advanced although I have earthed them up once.

Thanks Hopalong.  I've been told that Potatoes in containers tend to be a little bit ahead of those in the ground.  If this is true then I might even win Corny's Potato challenge!   ;D

G x

Oooowww ark at Georgie with her competition winning spuds,  ;)  mine are coming along nicely ground and container spuds.  ;D ;D ;D

Looking good Georgie! My ones on the plot have appeared in the past week.

just see this might try it next year

Grow 100 lbs. of Potatoes in 4 Square Feet

http://lifehacker.com/5202849/grow-100-lbs-of-potatoes-in-4-square-feet

Hi, great thread.

I posted earlier, I'm growing some seed spuds in these:

http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?image=greenrecyclingbag.jpg

However I came home today and discovered my wife had a move around :-(

I'm just wondering how well the potatoes will respond to the moving. They've been in 4 weeks and coming up very well. I've earthed them up a few times. Just hope she hasn't damaged them.

I've other potatoes in builders buckets but obviously I won't get as good a crop out of these.

Quote from: GlentoranMark on April 16, 2009, 21:48:17
Hi, great thread.

I posted earlier, I'm growing some seed spuds in these:

http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?image=greenrecyclingbag.jpg

However I came home today and discovered my wife had a move around :-(

I'm just wondering how well the potatoes will respond to the moving. They've been in 4 weeks and coming up very well. I've earthed them up a few times. Just hope she hasn't damaged them.

I've other potatoes in builders buckets but obviously I won't get as good a crop out of these.

Hi Mark. 

I'm sorry but I don't know the answer to your question being a first time grower myself but my guess is that they will be okay although I should imagine it isn't really a good idea to move potatoes in non-rigid containers.

Yesterday I had to earth my potatoes up again.  Here are the before and after pics.  I couldn't earth them up quite as much as I would have liked because the shoots in the top left hand corner of the picture are about 10cm shorter than all the rest.   ::)

G x

Looking good G, I see you've got a bit of that Enfield Sun  8) shining on them.  ;D ;D ;D

Quote from: cornykev on April 21, 2009, 18:28:00
Looking good G, I see you've got a bit of that Enfield Sun  8) shining on them.  ;D ;D ;D

Thanks, Corny.  Always sunny here innit?   ;D  ;D  ;D

G x

I'm impressed! On the plot all mine are now a few inches tall.