What is the very latest you can plant spuds?

[Seahorse]

Holding my hands up to being a total wally!

I've bought erm... quite a lot of seed potatoes with scant regard for the fact that my lottie is still pretty much somewhere one could misplace David Attenborough I'm clearing it as fast as I can (which with a 2yo in tow, isn't very fast at all). I have a good stock of buckets but not enough to grow the whole lot in!

I've a fair selection of first/second/maincrop - can anyone tell me the absolute latest I could plant them and still hope for a crop? I'm in the East Midlands and my plot is sheltered and south facing.

[shirlthegirl43]

In Scotland they harvest the maincrop spuds in mid-late October (if my memory serves me correctly). I would reckon that if you take your date for first frost and count back the relevant number of weeks, you should get your latest planting date. Just a guess though

[Minty]

Enter wally number 2.
I also got VERY carried away with my spud buying and as i have just realised i will fill my plot if i plant them all.
So as i see it i have two options.
1, Swap some away to fellow plot holders for something a little less ground hugging,greenhouse stuff perhaps..
2, source another plot/half plot if you are lucky enough.It is plot rent time at ours so some plots may be available.

I think i will be giving some of mine to my lottie neighbors anyway as we go on our jollies to sunny Ingoldmells for a fortnight in August and need someone to look after my precious plantings
Minty

[Seahorse]

Oh cr*p Minty, you were my first target for offloading my excesses! I could even have hurled them towards you as you razzed past on your way to Ingoldmells!

That's a good tip about counting back from the likely first frosts Shirley!

[smallblueplanet]

A few years ago we were ages late with ours May-time I think, I'll get the sober person to read the diary and check! But yeah count the weeks to being ready. Only thing is with later crops, they're more prone to blight - to and from your toms even, too. (Edit - planted 29th May, ditched main crop and only planted 1st & 2nd earlies - tried some in mid-July, tiny spuds 3 plants needed for a meal! by 10th Aug we were eating them reasonable size)

But you don't have to have the lotty too clear do you? We (okay the OH!) plant spuds like flower bulbs - dig a six inch hole and drop 'em in, cover 'em up, then when they start pushing up earth 'em up.

[bridget mc laughlin]

The latest I plant mine is the second week of may

[Seahorse]

But you don't have to have the lotty too clear do you? We (okay the OH!) plant spuds like flower bulbs - dig a six inch hole and drop 'em in, cover 'em up, then when they start pushing up earth 'em up.

I'm liking this idea!

[smallblueplanet]

It works - we're not the only ones to use it either.

[Jardiniere]

I've bought a box of potatoes because they always run out here if you dont buy them by easter...but my land is not cleared so I'm thinking they wont be in til mid April ...the land is actually inhabited by tress and brambles currently but have found a patch which is only weeds and grass and a few small ish brambles......darent put them in the garden as we had blight last year.

[Sue]

Seahorse
If you can't get them in the ground you could always stick them in compost bags turned inside out, works a treat!
And people have various reports on the vine about planting under cover or mulch and I was going to try this in a patch that's been covered in cardboard and mulch, dig a hole and pop it in as I understand it!
best wishes
Sue

[SarzWix]

Seahorse
And people have various reports on the vine about planting under cover or mulch and I was going to try this in a patch that's been covered in cardboard and mulch, dig a hole and pop it in as I understand it!

Yep, I did it like that last year for my main crops: Marked the bed out with string, very roughly forked it over (just to loosen the soil) & took out the odd root or 2 that got stuck round the fork. Then a layer of compost, a layer of cardboard & another layer of compost, then watered it all & topped it with weed fabric. Leave for a couple of weeks. Then cut crosses through weed fabric & push a hole through as deep as possible, drop the spud in & wait...
If you don't have (or want!) weed fabric, it'll still work but you might need to put another layer of mulch on later to protect the spuds from going green near the surface. If you've got all the stuff ready, the bed can be prepared quite quickly (even by a knackered bod like me!)
The bed they were in last year has been fairly easy to weed afterwards - the soil is broken up by harvesting & the organic matter is incorporated too.
Give it a go Seahorse, you should be able to use up some of your spud mountain

[bluemoon]

I'm sure I remember Monty Don once saying that due to an awful spring one year he'd planted them in early June and they'd done OK. This sticks in my mind as I'm invariably late when planting my own, but usually manage a self-satisfied thought that at least I'm better than Monty Don.

[Seahorse]

Thanks everyone I've got a bit of ground mulched already that some of them can go in and I've been saving compost sacks too.

I've given quite a few away already and hope to get rid of more to other plot holders if I can't fit them in anywhere

[JennieAtkinson]

Well I seem to have done all that is suggested here!

I normally don't get them planted out until end April/beg May in a good year and one year was well into May, but I still got a good crop, although I haven;t so far (thank goodness) had any blight problems.

Its worth thinking of the no dig method Seahorse. I strimmed the area, put cardboard on the ground and heaped up some farm compost which I managed to get hold off. Covered with a good quality weed cover fabric (believe me its worth paying for the best), then cut some holes in the fabric and drop the potatoes in, making sure they go well down. I then covered the whole lot with grass cuttings. Had a great crop of spuds and ............. the best bit! ......... was that the ground was beautiful. It is my best area of ground still and that was three years ago. So worth giving a go.

I have also planted in cheap compost bags, cut in half and stood on end. Again got a reasonable crop of Charlottes. They got a bit difficult to water when the foliage started, but that was the only problem.