How much space for potatoes?

[moggssue]

Well, my potato order has arrived and I think I got a bit carried away!! I have four huuuggge bags, one each of first and second earlies and two of maincrops, together with a few other bits and pieces I want to try out. Trouble is, I dont think the allocated space will be enough .... can I grow them closer than recommended without losing too much of my crop??

[Hazel at the Hill]

I'm sure you can bung them in closer, with a reduced crop (tattieman will let you know for sure....), but, do a few sums first to see the extent of the extra...count how many are in each bag and allow:

First earlies: 12" apart and 2ft between rows
Maincrop: 15' apart and 30" between rows.

It might be worth only planting two thirds of each bag (or whatever) and using giving the others to your fellow lottie holders as swappsies for what you are short of?

[sewer rat]

Well, my potato order has arrived and I think I got a bit carried away!! I have four huuuggge bags, one each of first and second earlies and two of maincrops, together with a few other bits and pieces I want to try out. Trouble is, I dont think the allocated space will be enough .... can I grow them closer than recommended without losing too much of my crop??

Alternatively, why not work out what you need to fully utilise the intended space planting at the recommended spacings, and sell the rest of your seed potatoes to friends. I'm sure a lot of folk haven't even thought about buying seed tatties yet - I certainly won't be gertting any in til March.

[Nicos]

I've been cutting down each year and still have too many- well this year I intend to grow too many and give them away- cos our lottie can't have the love and attention it once had- BUT I still want to keep it going with a bit of help!

I often have 10-12 left over- and pop them into tomato pots on the back patio with a few nasturtium seeds- and if I can't be bothered/no time to nip to the lottie- they're readily to hand. Yet the garden looks softer with the pots there- so double the usage!

Family of 4 - 120 seed spuds is roughly what I have planted in the past.

[tattieman]

Well, my potato order has arrived and I think I got a bit carried away!! I have four huuuggge bags, one each of first and second earlies and two of maincrops, together with a few other bits and pieces I want to try out. Trouble is, I dont think the allocated space will be enough .... can I grow them closer than recommended without losing too much of my crop??

It all depends what size you want them really. Are you wanting to squeeze them all in or put the correct amount in and grow them big.
You could plant the earlies at half the spacing recommended if you like and you would still get a decent crop but the rest I would plant at the normal rate.
Buy some cheap rubble bags and grow a few in them if you run out of space.
What varieties have you got to plant?

[SarzWix]

I had some arrive today; I must have forgotten I'd ordered some and ordered them again
So I've now got 3 big bags of Sarpo Axona, 1 big bag of Sarpo Mira, 1 big bag of Desiree, & 1 big bag Peach Bloom - all maincrop! Plus a big bag each Charlotte & Anya and small packs of a few others... I expect I'll pass round some of the Sarpos to my lottie neighbours, and utilise every big pot I own for the salad spuds. I won't have to worry about how to fill the 3rd plot though!

[tattieman]

I had some arrive today; I must have forgotten I'd ordered some and ordered them again
So I've now got 3 big bags of Sarpo Axona, 1 big bag of Sarpo Mira, 1 big bag of Desiree, & 1 big bag Peach Bloom - all maincrop! Plus a big bag each Charlotte & Anya and small packs of a few others... I expect I'll pass round some of the Sarpos to my lottie neighbours, and utilise every big pot I own for the salad spuds. I won't have to worry about how to fill the 3rd plot though!

Have you ever thought about becoming a potato merchant

[SarzWix]

Have you ever thought about becoming a potato merchant

Why, are you thinking of setting up regional franchises?

[Two_Sheds]

Have a think if you will eat all those spuds ... also consider losing your maincrops to blight ... that might help you decide whether it's worth planting them all, or giving/selling some

I'm going to my first Potato Day this year, so I expect I will have a plot full of spuds and nowt else this year

[Hazel at the Hill]

Top Tip!

This might sound pretty obvious now, but if you work out how many firsts/seconds/mains that you have room for BEFORE you go to the potato day, and then only buy that number of tubers you wont be scratching your head wondering where all those spuds are going to go!

You should have seen me last year at Ryton in the freezing cold trying to work out how many earlies, then how many mains would fit into 2 beds 20' by 4' each... I worked out that it's easier to do sums in the warm at home!

[Alison]

I worked mine out in the warmth of the home but still managed to get a bit carried away when I ordered on line. Knew how many of what I wanted but then ended up ordering some small bags of different stuff without reducing the stuff I'd already selected. Plan B is having an extra potato bed this year in the land where I'm hoping to put a polytunnel next year - just need to remember where the spuds have been so I don't plant toms there next year.....

[gridgardener]

how close

how close do the directions say to plant them?

You can plant them 1-1.5 ft in ever direction if use the square foot planting method.

[gojiberry]

I tried cramming them in last year and it doesn't really work. The tubers themselves seemed to have enough space but the tops were fighting for the light and ended up taking out the two paths on either side of the bed. I also ended up with a smaller crop as I could not earth up properly. Am trying to cram a few extra in this year by using buckets with the bottoms cut out, so I can a t least earth up to a decent height.

Ian

[mogs]

Last year I bought some green nylon sacking type pop up garden refuse bags from Aldi for £1.99 each, punctured some holes in the base and filled with compost. I put three potatoes in each bag and kept adding more compost as they grew. When I came to harvest them, in one bag there were 72 tubers. I think they were Pink Fir Apple, so only salad type spuds, but I was quite impressed - so impressed I actually counted them!

[gridgardener]

gojiberry the reason you had trouble is the fact besides the spacing
i planted either 16 , 9 ,4 plants per 4ftx4ft raised bed which was stacked
4ft high at end season.