Allotments 4 All

We are going to stay with our daughter in Leeds  next weekend, and she desperately wants to plant her chitted early potatoes  with our help, on her new allotment.  I've only grown potatoes in Herts, and always  planted them early, in mid-Feb, as it was easy for me to keep them covered later.  She so wants to do them with us, as the next three weekends she isn't free, and works long hours.
So my question for anyone up north, can she do this now, given the cold weather, or would she be better waiting until mid April?

Wait to April ill be doin it in about 2/3 weeks

We've had a bed covered with thick card and weed suppressant. Our earlies are going in today and they will be deep enough to be ok. The bed will be re-covered once planted

I always planted mine now- not quite as north as Leeds.
This year I would wait as there is no sign of it warming.
As Manics said- mulching before might have helped, I wish I had now!

We are going to have a week more of this cold weather before  warns up

Quote from: Basfordlad on March 18, 2013, 07:35:36
We are going to have a week more of this cold weather before  warns up

Naturally, I am on my "gardening/ spud planting" weeks holiday from work

Quote from: pumpkinlover on March 18, 2013, 09:15:19

Quote from: Basfordlad on March 18, 2013, 07:35:36
We are going to have a week more of this cold weather before  warns up

Naturally, I am on my "gardening/ spud planting" weeks holiday from work

Oh dear. Snow is foecast for end of week.

According to terry scholey who does very accurate forcasting. Spring will arrive properly about the 7th of April

LOL!!
is Terry Scholey on line or an old friend down the pub?!

Quote from: pumpkinlover on March 18, 2013, 09:21:23
LOL!!
is Scholey on line or an old friend down the pub?!

He is an extremely accurate forcaster and lives in Notts.  He does the forcasting for the nfu.  Last year he pissed me of as he got everything so right. More accurate then the met office.

Here is a link to one of his forecasts.  Our allotment site also puts them on twice a month

http://www.gavsweathervids.com/terryscholey.html. 

Come back in the autumn and you will agree how accurate he is

Suppose they could go in....but I haven't even thought about planting mine. They have chitted nicely and could go in, but as my soil is still on chilly side and still quite wet, there is not much to gain really and now with the more freezing weather ahead, soil is not going to warm up in a hurry neither.
How about planting some and waiting with the another half?..it will be good learning curve to see what happens. I doubt any actual harm would come for the 'earliers'..my guess is that once they are all up and growing, end results propably are quite same.

I'm close to Leeds and we have snow today! And the ground is sodden from all the rain we've had. I usually try to plant mine around Good Friday as that's the tradition, but as Easter's early this year they might have to wait.

Ours are going in a raised bed that has been given a 6" covering of 3 yr old manure, weeks ago, then covered. We have to start or we won't get it all done. Slowly, bit at a time is the only way for us 

Im 25 miles from Leeds and were having rain/ snow almost daily. All the ground round here is absolutely sodden, so i'd imagine Leeds would be same.

Personally, Im hanging fire!!

Cheers Basfordlad, I've added Terry to favorites. At least if he is accurate we can plan better.
Still love Paul the Weatherman though on Look North, he's brilliant and so nice!

sorry Peanuts i have gone awfully "off topic"

Quote from: pumpkinlover on March 18, 2013, 10:28:53
Cheers Basfordlad, I've added Terry to favorites. At least if he is accurate we can plan better.
Still love Paul the Weatherman though on Look North, he's brilliant and so nice!

sorry Peanuts i have gone awfully "off topic"

We planned our holidays round his forecasts last year.  At least we know spring is going to be late and can plan accordingly.  Things will catch up.  Just have lots to do in April

That's really helpful of everyone to reply like this!  Thank you so much.  I'll suggest she  hangs fire for a while, though if it is sunny while we are up there (LOL), we might try planting just some, as you suggest, Goodlife. Having had a foot of very heavy and wet snow this week in SW France, I'm looking at my rows or earlies planted a couple of weeks ago, and hoping they don't appear in our absence!  And the early peas aren't showing either, not surprisingly.  oh well, there is always another year!

Quote from: Peanuts on March 18, 2013, 11:35:26
That's really helpful of everyone to reply like this!  Thank you so much.  I'll suggest she  hangs fire for a while, though if it is sunny while we are up there (LOL), we might try planting just some, as you suggest, Goodlife. Having had a foot of very heavy and wet snow this week in SW France, I'm looking at my rows or earlies planted a couple of weeks ago, and hoping they don't appear in our absence!  And the early peas aren't showing either, not surprisingly.  oh well, there is always another year!

Oh no.... not ......"there is always another year" phrase already-its only March (I've started to feel like that too )

OH NOOOO!...it is not time for "another year" cries quite yet! Come July and if we have foot of snow and we are able to skate on flooded potato patch....that is time for a "another year" and selection of *&^*&(*&*(^(*^$$^**** =carefully selected words.

Just had a look at terry's forecast and wish I hadn't- feeling really depressed now! 

Quote from: caroline7758 on March 18, 2013, 12:29:39
Just had a look at terry's forecast and wish I hadn't- feeling really depressed now! 

Yes it often depresses me