Planting/direct sowing in the north west of England

[GreaterMarrow]

Hi all

Before I get carried away on the plot I wondered if anyone local could offer some advice.

The growing instructions on seed potato packets say plant in spring when risk of frost has passed. The last frost date in our area apparently is early May - do I really need to wait this long to plant them out??!

Also, I've been looking at my seed packets, picking out the ones that can be planted from March onwards. I've got a nicely prepared outdoor seed bed which has been covered with fleece for a couple of weeks - is it still to early or can I start getting some stuff in there?

I don't have a greenhouse and have run out of windowsill space so I'm eager to get something going outdoors!

Thanks for any advice

[alldigging]

Get a greenhouse?
A cold frame is an easy substitute for seed starting.

For spuds it's traditionally good friday for planting?
Just make sure they're earthed up plenty, and use a sheet of fleece if it's going to be cold when they have growth above ground.

[arpoet]

Its only March... things will soon catch up if started off a bit later.

[skeggijon]

I used to live in North Yorkshire on a mountainside (Ingleborough). Last frost there was about July

[Sharpy]

After reading this thread i found a website you can put in your location, and all veg planting times are geared towards your region.

Gardening made simple from GardenFocused

Hope it helps

[GreaterMarrow]

Thanks for that! I'd been to that site before and forgot all about the veg calender, it's a great help

[Kristen]

The growing instructions on seed potato packets say plant in spring when risk of frost has passed. The last frost date in our area apparently is early May - do I really need to wait this long to plant them out??!

After planting they will be a few weeks (depending on how warm the soil is) before the leaves appear above the soil. The frost won't penetrate the soil, at this time of year, so its only the leaves you have to worry about.

Once above the ground they can be earthed up - this is because the potato plant grows the potato tubers off the stems of the plant. If you earth up more stem is under ground, and more opportunity for the plant to make more tubers. Also earthing up covers the "area" where tubers will be formed off the stems, which stops any baby tubers turning green (as spuds do when exposed to light)

So ... once the plant is above ground and has made leaves, and IF a frost is forecast, you can just drawn some soil over the leaves so they are underground. This will form part of the earthing-up process, and keep the frost off the plant. You can also cover the plants with fleece / newspaper etc.

However ... the earlier you plant the spuds, and the further North you live, the more nights of frost there will be if you plant early.

I plant some in bags / containers in conservatory / greenhouse so I don't have to fiddle about trying to keep the frost off the outdoor ones, which I plant later (well into April). There is only any great benefit planting early for 1st Early varieties, where you want an early crop. Planting 2nd early / Maincrop varieties early just means there is more chance of a late frost and having to faff about protecting the crop.

(Late planting does, however, mean that the plant may not be mature before blight arrives, so in places where blight is common folk may choose to only plant 1st Early potatoes or plant & harvest early)

Also, I've been looking at my seed packets, picking out the ones that can be planted from March onwards. I've got a nicely prepared outdoor seed bed which has been covered with fleece for a couple of weeks - is it still to early or can I start getting some stuff in there?

Warm soil helps. I would go for a mid-range date between Start and End dates on the packet ... folk in Cornwall can go with the earliest date

Also if you sow, say, half now and half later you will have backups if the first lot don't do well.

[GreaterMarrow]

Thanks for the advice Kristen, very informative Think I'll try to hold off on the potatoes for a few weeks but I might see if I can get a few seeds going outside, see what happens!