Advice on which potatoes to plant when to get a continuous crop?

[eskymo]

Hi there

I didn't have much success with my potatoes last year mostly because I'm not sure what type of potatoes I bought and probably planted them at the wrong time of year. It was the first time I was growing potatoes and I had no idea what I was doing.

This year I want to use these potato spud tubs available at Thompson & Morgan [and no doubt other places too] as I have a small veg plot and this would allow me more room.

I need advice on what type of potatoes to plant and when. I would like to have a continuous crop of potatoes throughout the year - is this possible? Also, how long does it take to get a crop from the time of planting? i.e. - when do you know you can dig them up?

I've heard the terms 'main crop' and 'first earlies' etc - this isn't what I'm after - I just want to know the name of the potato and when to plant it and how long I need to wait for them to be ready to dig up.

If anyone can advise me on some potatoes I'd be very grateful. Did you have a good crop with them? Did they taste good? And also when to plant them and when to dig them up.

many thanks

[Jaxom]

eskymo.
What a good thread question. I will be watching this space as I will be growing potatoes for the first year. I have bought three big bins ready to start them off. Now all I need is good advice too.
Jax

[Lottie]

January' Grow your own has all the answers to your pototoe questions. Varieties, what to plant, when to plant, how to plant, how to look after them. The most informative article I have seen.

Oh - and where to buy them and how much !

[eskymo]

mmm...not sure I've got January's issue as my subscription ran out and I lost my cheque book. I found it the other day and managed to send off my renewal. So I think the last copy I've got is December. I'll see if I can get January's issue in the shops.

[Looloobowers]

Hi,

I too am growing potatoes for the first time this year and someone here recommended Tuckers seeds for seed potatoes. The information given is amazing. It does not tell you when to plant but does give you something to think about. The question you are asking is difficult because of what you want from your crop i.e. mash, chips etc. and also what disease problems you may have in your soil. I personally can recommend Harmony for Mash, Baking or boiling and I have made chips with them. Also Marfona are a good all rounder, both are maincrop. These I believe you plant in March and harvest when the flowers die whereas Earlies you plant early to mid Feb and harvest before the Flowers set, I think! I am sure someone will correct this if I have got it the wrong way round.

Looloo


Try This: http://www.edwintucker.com/Seeds/seeds%20index.htm

[Geordie]

Beginers guide to spuds

Eskymo,

This is not quite as simple a question to answer as it may seem but here goes:

Potatoes generally fall into 4 groups, FIRST EARLY, plant late March & harvest mide June to July; SECOND EARLY, plant early April & harvest July - August; Early Maincrop, plant mid April & harvest late August - October; LATE MAINCROP, plant mid April and harvest late August - October.

eg (popular) First Early potaoes: Rocket, Swift, Maris Baird, Arran Pilot, Foremost etc. should be planted late March. The haulms (leaves) will need protection from frost. They will be ready about 10 weeks from planting. You know your area better than me so can guage this. If growing in pots you can start them off under cover in greenhouse or similar if needed.

Maybe the best place to start in choosing a potatoe is why you want to grow them? Do you prefer roast, mash, chips, boiled, salad or just a general all purpose one! Looloo rightly pointed you to Edwin Tuckers site as this list a lot of varieties by 'usage'. Most people may then select a variety if they need it to be pest or disease resistant eg to combat blight or slugs or eelworm etc.

So you may decide you want an early potatoe, white in colour, to enjoy as a salad potato which has good eelworm resistance......choose Rocket.

I have had fresh potatoes from late May untill Christmas.....with stored potatoes making up the gap Jan - May.

If this is your first year and you have nobody to ask about problems, eg is blight a factor, I would grow, first earlies & late maincrop. If you have more room grow second earlies or salad types. If you want the fullhouse then go for early maincrop.


Hope this helps, I assume you are ok with chitting or not as the case my be etc. Anybody any other questions please ask!

[Lesley Jay]

I always plant my seed potatoes in the middle of April when the chance of frost is past. Because of the slugs I only grow earlies - Arran Pilot being my preferred variety.

[CityChick]

I've found Lady Christl to be a great early new potato - healthy and tasty. Red Duke of York is my other favourite early - great as a new potato, especially when picked small, and then great for roasting / baking when big.

I don't have a greenhouse, but use fleece to protect them outside.

[Clarea1]

Geordie - How do you store your potatoes?

[eskymo]

This is brialliant! I love getting this kind of info from other growers!

[Geordie]

I store my potatoes in hessian sacks, (beter than paper ones), in the garage.

[dni_dave]

Potato storage

Geordie - How do you store your potatoes?

Clarea1

I grew for the first time this year and storage has been one of the problems. I sourced some hessian sacks and divided the potatoes up (just due to the "eggs in one basket" motto) and put them in ensuring that they were dry. Any dodgy/borderline for storage potatoes were either eaten then or recycled into the horses food.

They are currently in the garden shed on a shelf about 18 inches off the ground. I've put a plastic sack in front of the sacks as hessian isn't light proof and I don't want the potatoes going green after all this effort. I check them each time I take some out for use and they seem fine.

I think that hessian allows them to "breathe" although I'm unsure just how much this is valid as the shed door is shut and locked. Paper sacks absorb any moisture and don't dry out that well so that is why we haven't used the old horse feed sacks, and plastic sweats so that is a no-no.

Some companies sell the hessian sacks along with the seed potatoes so that might swing it for some people as I couldn't get hold of any sacks from local garden centres (although they had lots of Xmas decorations to offer me!!! ). I got mine off a fellow gardener who somehow managed to get a 1000 sacks.

Not long now 'til we plant again....

Dave

[poultrychat]

I stored my King Edward in poultry feed sacks in a stable and had the last lot on New Years Eve and they were lovely! This years seed potatoes have just arrived, I am going to do Earlies, Second Earlies, Early Maincrop and Late Maincrop this year in the hope of never having to buy shop potatoes again, I'll let you know if it works

[eskymo]

When are you going to plant each type out?

[poultrychat]

If you are asking me eskimo the first earlies will be planted late February