Confused re Xmas Tatties

[dexterdoglancashire]

Thanks! :-) dexterdog

[JennieAtkinson]

Hi Dexter - the no dig method

• cut the grass
• lay cardboard over it
• heap well rotted manure on top of that
• cover with membrane
• cut holes in membrane and plant potatoes
• cover with cut grass

Read about it in a book and so far so good - potato leaves flourishing. I will report further when I get to dig them up. They were maincrops so got another month to go yet.

I used the hessian bags last year. They worked quite well, but I didn't know enough about the different types of potatoes and think I stored first earlies. They kept ok until Christmas, but after that got a bit dodgy. I am eating my Charlottes at the moment - delicious! Well not this minute, like for tea!

[nick the grief]

Good source of bags is your local chippy, Ours gave me a paper sack full for nothing!!

[maxine]

i brought some hessian sacks on ebay, 2 for £2.20, and they seem okay.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi Jennie - that sounds different! All my back garden is now dug over in the traditional style, but do let me know how you get on! dexterdog

[Two_Sheds]

I've done it! Harvested new potatoes on Xmas Day (and it's a white Xmas too, thanks to a dusting overnight)

Variety: Mr Little's Yetholm Gypsy
Planted: 27 March (!)
medium: leafmould & MPC, grown in a bucket
Feed: weekly with comfrey tea
Frost?: they were put inside the unheated greenhouse in Nov, which has been v.cold (minus 1c)

As you can see, not a great yield - most are marbles. They stopped growing when the leaves fell off in Sept/Oct

[gojiberry]

Well done TS, with all this deep cold you are lucky to get a crop. Hope everyone enjoys them.

Ian