What can i use for my potatoes ?

[Minty]

Hi . being still in the process of clearing my once overgrown allotment i think it is too late to have manure delivered and use it to enhance the soil.
So it is like this, i have quite a large area dug over for lots of potatoes. I know you can buy chicken/comfrey pellets to put in the trenches but as i have in excess of 200 seed potatoes should i plant them in the newly cleared ground as-is or should i add something. Thanks Minty X

[Snadger]

As long as manure is well rotted it can be added at any time! If you can get some just add it as a mulch on the top and let the worms dig it in.

If you can't get any organic matter on the land i.e. seaweed,FYM,home made compost etc you could still add a bit of something to your planting holes only. Coir, peat or growbag compost could be used. A half of a handful of bonemeal to each planting station will give a bit of long term phosphate and a very small amount of slow release nitro to sustain growth until flowering if need be.

Maincrop tatties don't really nead any 'artificial' feed until they reach the flowering stage as if added before it will promote top growth at the expense of tatties!

A regular foliar feed high in pottassium should do the trick at this stage ie Comfrey tea or tomato liquid feed(Tomorite)

Without knowing your soil condition this can only be a very general piece of advice! I look forward to seeing what others advocate!

[rustylady]

If the land has been unused for some time, it should be capable of growing a crop of tatties without artificial feeding for one year at least. I would plant them and see how it goes. Is the land clay, sand, or a lovely loam?

[Minty]

If the land has been unused for some time, it should be capable of growing a crop of tatties without artificial feeding for one year at least. I would plant them and see how it goes. Is the land clay, sand, or a lovely loam?

Hi, i hoped that would be the case.
The soil is quite heavy when wet but breaks down quite nicely when dry and is very dark in colour. It is only clay in patches when you dig deep. Thanks Minty X