Seed Potatoes

[leicestershirelass]

Hi - trying to be more self-sufficient and we'd like to have a go at sowing/growing seed potatoes that will be ready for picking at the end of the year. Would appreciate any advice and guidance regarding variety to use, where by buy from etc.
Thanx

[Snadger]

Leicester (presuming you're from Leicester!) is a good potato growing area I believe, so be guided by what others are growing around you.
All I would say is certain spuds are area and soil specific. If possible go for certified seed as this should give you virus free stock.
If you want your spuds at the end of the year you'll need to plant late maincrop varieties like PFA, Druid, Cara, Golden Wonder e.t.c.!

Good luck Leicestershirelass!

[tattieman]

If you are looking for potatoes to harvest at xmas time you should use second earlies such as maris peer,charlotte,nicola and carlingford.They are what we call 2nd croppers and you can store the seed until you want to plant it in your fridge at no lower than 4 degrees.
You are too late this year to do it but you can always start next year.

[A Life Less Simple]

T&M do a Christmas potato collection, you are to late for this year though, they should have been planted at the start of last month.

[Snadger]

Sorry.......did you mean end of the year as in late maicrop varieties in October or end of the year as in Crimbo?

If for Crimbo that's a whole different ball game with loads of threads dedicated to it!

[leicestershirelass]

thanks for tips everyone ... + explanation of what second earlies are as I wondered what it meant!

need to plan next year's potato crops to get more produce ...