Need help with potato growing

[soph696]

Hi

Im new to growing potatoes and need a lttlie advice.

Do I need to cover them a night and how can I prevent blight?

Thank you in advance,
Sophie and baby Rosie

[Sanjo]

Welcome to the vine Soph. Where are the potatoes, in the ground or in a container. Is any part of the potato showing at the moment - ie the tops?
Regarding blight - are your potatoes earlies or maincrop as earlies don't appear to be affected by blight?

[Capsid]

If you have planted them in the ground then you should be earthing them up as the shoots appear, this will protect them from the frosts. If you have finished earthing up later on in May/June and there are still frosts forecast then you can place newspaper over the green foliage to protect them.

You can spray potatoes with a fungicide to prevent blight (non-organic method) or there are blight resistant varieties but the ones I tried (Sarpo mostly) were too floury for my taste.

[soph696]

Hi

Sorry for the small info.

I have planted them in containers and they have already sprouted so I decided to plant them today. I have 2 containers one with Mairs piper maincrop in one and Arran pilot first earlies.

I have put 3 in each container, do i need to put more in as they sprout above the surface?

Thank you again,
Sophie

[Capsid]

HiI have put 3 in each container, do i need to put more in as they sprout above the surface?

No, hopefully you put the 3 seed spuds in a bit of compost at the bottom of the container and then as the shoots appear cover them with more compost until you fill the container, then maintain watering.

[gojiberry]

Most potatoes and tomatoes can be affected by blight and the only reason that earlies are not affected is that they tend to be planted and harvested before the blight arrives. Spraying can help prevent it taking hold but once affected there is no cure. Blighted potatoes can be saved if the tops are cut off as soon as the blight affects the tops and the tubers will usually be OK. The Sarpo family of potatoes are fairly blight resistant and give a good crop but most people agree that the flavour needs to be improved.

Ian

[RowanStar]

when's the latest i can plant spuds in the garden?

[colser]

they take anything from 14 weeks to 20 weeks to mature (14 for the 1st earlies 20 for slow growing maincrop varities).
sas long as you plant them with enough time to mature before the 1st frosts hit you then they should be fine, given you live in the south you could plant up to the end of May and should be OK (although blight may be an issue if the autumn is as damp as last year)