Allotments 4 All

Here's one for you guys which has a group of older/wiser lads on our plot at loggerheads! I'm growing Maris Piper potatoes on fallow land. I have had my allotment for 3 seasons now and this is the first time I have grown anything in this area of it and I'm told nothing has been grown there for many years previous to my taking the allotment on. The worry I have is the potatoes have gone completely mad,I kid you not when I say the haulms are over three feet out of the ground and still going! I planted the seed potatoes 6 inches deep and they are all well earthed up. I'm worried this really heavy top growth will mean next to nothing will be going on underground. Some side with this thought others say I will get a really good crop due to the fact the ground has had little or nothing growing in it for so long. Your thoughts please. Thanks for your time :)

It is quite "normal" to get a good crop from previously fallow land... Piper is known to be prone to slug damage though so I'd be tempted to Nematode the area when the soil is damp...
Three foot haulms are not unusual... some like Pink Fir can exceed 7' in some seasons. Maris Piper isn't a particularly "late" maincrop (unlike PF) where a lot of top groowth will not mean any tuber development until September at the earliest...  :)

Some of my potatoes are on a patch not used for years and have haulms which are higher than those on previously cultivated ground, so I am interested in you post.   My potatoes are desiree.    Wil lstand back and note crop.  Hope you will let us know how yours do.

I think it will be the best crop you are likely to have. nothing has been taken out of the soil for a few years. I think there may be a few geen eyed dragons on you allotments

I have found with potatoes that good growth on the top generally means good results underneath.

Some of my haulms are over three foot, so as said not unusual, one guy on our site has he's are growing at four foot plus and reckons he's got all top growth, he waters far too much in my opinion, but he's been digging out some OK spuds, but with virgin soil I reckon you'll have a bumper crop, keep us updated.   :)

Thank-you for your replies....here's hoping my crop is a bumper one!  :)

Hi, I am growing maris piper too, and on land unused for 15 years !!! I have this very day dug some of mine and they are a real bumper crop !! I hope you have the same.
Good luck