Potatoes chitting, with the help of an onion?

[Snoop Puss]

Crumbs, gh2. Colin Bowcock's advice sounds potentially backbreaking!

Has anyone tried this method?

[Andraste]

I'd imagine ol' Col was only suggesting a way to get a few early rather than a whole row or more

I've not tried it myself but my grandad always put some early-earlies in a bucket of compost which was put in an unheated greenhouse (just an old bog-standard one with a few drainage holes in the bottom & often a broken handle). I imagine he topped up the compost in the bucket to earth up as they grew as you would with a potato bag growing. I can't remember if he'd move the bucket outside as the weather warmed (probably) but they certainly didn't get transplanted - just stayed in the bucket until harvesting. The first family feed of early spuds always came from the bucket a good couple of weeks before the earlies in the beds were ready - yummy yum yum

[gardenhistory2]

Andraste old Colin Bowcock produced more than few earlies. he produces over 400 lbs
per plant using his method the plants ran the whole season.

[Penellype]

I'd imagine ol' Col was only suggesting a way to get a few early rather than a whole row or more

I've not tried it myself but my grandad always put some early-earlies in a bucket of compost which was put in an unheated greenhouse (just an old bog-standard one with a few drainage holes in the bottom & often a broken handle). I imagine he topped up the compost in the bucket to earth up as they grew as you would with a potato bag growing. I can't remember if he'd move the bucket outside as the weather warmed (probably) but they certainly didn't get transplanted - just stayed in the bucket until harvesting. The first family feed of early spuds always came from the bucket a good couple of weeks before the earlies in the beds were ready - yummy yum yum

I always put 3 or 4 tubers each (Lady Christl, 1st early) in a couple of 30l buckets in January or February and grow them under a cloche or in my greenhouse for early new potatoes. The ones I planted this year are just starting to show above the compost. I take off the cloche or move the buckets outside when the weather warms up and I usually start harvesting small potatoes from these towards the end of May.

[Nicos]

Thanks for your contribution everyone.
We seem to be going off target now so I’ll close the thread.

As an aside…I’ve followed ameno’s advice and now removed the onion. The potatoes have certainly started chitting so if indeed the onion helped …or hindered….or it was just the washing of the spuds, I’ll leave the spuds to do their own thing now.

Its certainly worth a proper bit of research if someone has the motivation.