Is it worth growing main crop potatoes

[pigletwillie]

I always grow, and will continue to do so, a few rows of early potatoes, as you can't beat the freshness, choice of varieties and real satisfaction when yuo dig them up.

With maincrop potatoes however I have decided to not bother with them this coming season. The cost of the seed potatoes, blight and the rather variable yields have prompted me to call it a day, along with the realisation that a local organic farm shop sells sacks of spuds (organic) for £5.50 a sack.

As I am building a second tunnel this year the amount of ground available for spuds will diminish and to be honest , I would prefer to grow crops with a better return in yield, value and taste.

Is anybody else opting out?

[Lesley Jay]

I already did Piglet a couple of years ago. First earlies are so tasty straight from the ground and so expensive to buy that they are worth growing but main crop with slugs and blight just are not worth growing. They take up alot of ground that can be used for other vegetables.

[Alice]

Hello piglet, no, I wouldn't grow main crop potatoes unless you have acres of ground you don't know what to do with. Space is precious and there are far better things to grow.

PS I finally managed to get registered for the Big Jim Comp. Planning an early start !

[Geordie]

Piglet, why not try to grow some second crop potatoes in time for next Christmas.....only 364 days to go!!

[adjohnson1971]

I posted a thread the other day about potato scab, and to be honest I'm really tempted to just not bother with growing spuds because as you correctly point out, its possible to buy large bags of organic spuds quite cheaply. Along with the problems of blight etc, the work involved in earthing up etc, just doesn't justify the end product.

[Nicos]

We only grow salad and earlies. Then use the ground for leeks.
Each year we say we will grow less as we always seem to end up with about 120 seed potatoes.( we're bound to have the space as we have a lottie!!!).
Must admit , I do like pasta, rice, cous cous etc as alternative sources of carbs, but nothing beats the early spuds!!

[Earthbabe]

Hmmm! You've got me thinking. We adore earlies and salads. The reason we grow mains is to be able to choose the varities we want. Big sacks of organic spuds around here are £15-£20. We have been fortunate. We dug the desirees early this year but suffered some losses of the Valor (which I wouldn't grow again because there are better, nicer spuds out there) to wireworm in our first year. However as with everything it is under constant review similar to all our veg varieties.

I think that's me sitting on the fence then.

[Alison]

Never grown them as simply don't have enough space - would probably grow them in an ideal world but then that's the same one where I would have enough space to have a few chooks, pigs etc so not much chance of that unless I win the lottery!

[Peter]

I already did Piglet a couple of years ago. First earlies are so tasty straight from the ground and so expensive to buy that they are worth growing but main crop with slugs and blight just are not worth growing. They take up alot of ground that can be used for other vegetables.

Lesley Jay, well!!!

[Lesley Jay]

Peter!!! Your mind is as bad as mine!!!

[Peter]

Piglet, I am having doubts about my ability to produce a "clean" load of maincop spuds. The bugs and moulds seem to get to far too many of the spuds and it is always the larger spuds that get the worst problems. My Dunbar Standard this year have had about 60% discard rate due to attack or size, in a good year it is a magnificent potato with good bakers.

On the positive side Nicola is an excellent all round 2nd early, which if left is described as a salad baker. However this year the weather pattern did not match the growth pattern, unless I had an irrigation system on the plot I do not think I could have improved this variety this year.

So 2007 I will plant less, probably heavy on the second earlies, water more and look for preventative measures.

Can anyone suggest any proven blight or bug prevention methods?
I already use well rotted manure as a liner to my trench and add some slug pellets.

[supersprout]

Yes pw, I slimmed down to 30 early/salad spuds last year (two beds) - that's plenty for us. I buy maincrop (storing) spuds in a paper sack from the roadside in Salter's Lode, £2.50 for half a cwt of desirees properly grown and cured, lasts all winter and delicious flavour

[Alice]

Hello Piglet, I think I've said this before but I wouldn't grow potatoes in the ground for reasons you all know about , and wouldn't do maincrops. I grew mine in buckets and got 4lbs to the bucket for Charlottes and a whopping 6lbs to the bucket for Rooster (great roasters). One lot had such a crop it burst the bucket , so I suppose I have to add that on to the cost. I buy from the supermarket, looking for Scottish grown (disease free) and this works well for me. And you can lift your buckets and put them anywhere.

Just an aside, I have some supermarket Charlotte which are sprouting now. I'm going to plant them and give them their best chance. I'll keep a record and post the results. Wish me luck!!!!

[burnie]

I don't have a lot of room for tatties,but grew pink fir apples last season with no loses to anything.Fiddly little buggers to peel my other half informs me,but other wise excellent.I started cropping at one end of the row soon after flowering and didn't lift the last ones till well into autumn.

[pigletwillie]

I grew second earlies in 25 litre plastic oil barrels this year which worked well and grew Lady Crystl 1st earlies which were very good. The return on the main crop was pathetic and I would sooner grow something with better value.