can you successional plant spuds?

[janeyo]

This is proba really daft question!

Last year I only had earlies, all planted together and all ready togetehr. By the time i'd got them all out I had some whoppers! Even too big to be baked for one greedy person!

So this year I want to space them out more. And I've got later ones too.

Do I leave the rest to chit some more when I plant a few at a time? How long between plantings?

Can I do the same with maincrop or does it not matter to successional plant for them? Do main crop go in when earlies go in?

(I have duke of york, desiree and golden wonder if that helps)

Thanks

[zazen999]

The problem is blight...the later they are planted the higher the chance.

Last year we left the plants in the ground and furtled for weeks, before we dug the actual plant up. For our main, we left the plant in the soil until the blight took it, then took them all our at once. The lasted us quite a while, being that we lost alot to slugs and had to throw them away. We've very carefully chosen eelworm and blight resistant varieties this year.

I also harvested a few pots in Oct/Nov, which had been grown and the foliage [which didn't get blight as it was in the courtyard] just left to die back.

Can't you just eat the earlies until the main are ready, large or not?

[janeyo]

We can of course, and we did, but they are not the same in salads and baby ones when they weight 400grams each lol

[zazen999]

Aha - if it's only small ones that you want then, you'd probably get away with it.

What about chopping the seed potatoes in half so that only one chit is one each section, that should eke the seed potatoes out longer.

[Eyren]

Earlies are not the same as salad potatoes - earlies refers to their being faster growers ideal for eating young, whereas maincrops are slow growers that are harvested when large;"salad" means they have a waxy texture that doesn't suit mashing, baking, etc. Some of the best known salad varieties are actually maincrops - Pink Fir Apple is a late maincrop, for example (I know - i was amazed when I found out!)

The maincrops can go in a bit later than the earlies, but a lot of folks put them all in together and just harvest them as they come ready. If you have space, you could try some "Nicola" which is an early maincrop salad potato

[janeyo]

oooh I didn't know you could do that! Won't they rot like that?

[shirlthegirl43]

Or you could cheat and dig them all up at the size you want then store them in fresh multi purpose compost in the dark. I did that a couple years ago and just layered compost then spuds in a bucket and kept it dry. The spuds tasted like they had just been harvested

[janeyo]

Thanks eyren, maybe I just ahd the wonrg type last year for tiddlers!

They all tasted great whoppers or not.

Will make a note for next year to get some specific salad ones too.

Thanks

[janeyo]

I might try that as well STG, thanks.

SO much to learn still

[Two_Sheds]

If you plant them closer together, they'll be smaller spuds.

Also if you don't rub off the eyes like some people do, you'll get smaller spuds.

[janeyo]

I will defo plant them closer. Didn't rub any off last year though as didn't know I was meant to do that either!

[lynda66]

i still haven't dug up all last years spuds still have half a row to go (guess i better get on with it before they start growing) ..... dug some up last week and they were delicious the plants died back in summer last year, doesn't really answer the question, but you don't actually have to dig them all up at the same time, just cos they are ready.

[greendean]

Some of the best known salad varieties are actually maincrops - Pink Fir Apple is a late maincrop, for example (I know - i was amazed when I found out!)

what a great spud fact!

bought salad selection from t&m thinking they were all earlies then panicked
because they would all be ready at the same time (6 varietiesx20 tubers=120!!!)
now i can leave some in a bit longer e.g pink fir apple and harvest later

thanks eyren