Potato Harvest: Was It Worth It?

[tattieman]

zazen999 you are about as bad as me for dreaming about spuds.

[zazen999]

I spent half the 'awake' part of the night wondering where I could get more compost bags from.....and wondering how many I've got stashed away in hidey holes around the place. rofl.....

[tattieman]

Sounds like there could be a competition here next year.
You are allowed 1 seed potato in a container of a max size of 17litres and lets see who can produce the heaviest crop from that.
We could have 3 classes, First early, Second early and Maincrop.
What do you think?

[zazen999]

I'm in!!!

[Rhona]

We grew Charlotte, some I picked up at Chatsworth farm shop (can't recall variety) and a mystery one (unmarked so bag was only 50p at B&Q!).

They got dobbed in the ground, then moved 2 weeks later when we shifted allotment; and have been left to their own devices. I earthed up and watered a bit but then had to leave them to it! Had a perfectly respectable return, and are all pretty tasty. Lifted quite a few yesterday along with JA's and will be cooking in a chorizo casserole thing.

They had every reason not to perform, but seem to be ok. So lucky this year I think...

[bluemoon]

We grew Charlotte, some I picked up at Chatsworth farm shop (can't recall variety) and a mystery one (unmarked so bag was only 50p at B&Q!).

They got dobbed in the ground, then moved 2 weeks later when we shifted allotment; and have been left to their own devices. I earthed up and watered a bit but then had to leave them to it! Had a perfectly respectable return, and are all pretty tasty. Lifted quite a few yesterday along with JA's and will be cooking in a chorizo casserole thing.

They had every reason not to perform, but seem to be ok. So lucky this year I think...

Was going to cry at this as my only hope was that it was the weather, but if yours haven't suffered ...... Then I realized that you'd grown 'Charlottes' and a couple of 'mystery guests'. If I choose to convince myself that the mystery guests were probably something that we would normally grow (as are the Charlottes) then my problems were down to poor choice of variety.... weren't they?????

[MrsC]

My first real year on the allotment and sick of the sight of potatoes (sorry!!!!) I planted, 1st, 2nd and maincrop varieties, cropped really well, got loads in store and gave loads away. Have noted down what I planted, not to hand at the moment, but, haven't bought any spuds since May and have loads in store. King Edwards were the maincrop Maris Peers 2nd earlies and 3 varieties of 1st tatties, Swift, Arran Pilot and will look the other up and let you know. I paid the grand total of £12 for all varieties (around 90 in total) and cannot believe the return. Even fellow plot holders still joke that I have a chippy shop somewhere! Hope for the same success next year. I did nothing special, nothing added to the ground, chitted and then planted with a bulb planter, earthed up once.

[Alison]

My first real year on the allotment and sick of the sight of potatoes (sorry!!!!) I planted, 1st, 2nd and maincrop varieties, cropped really well, got loads in store and gave loads away. Have noted down what I planted, not to hand at the moment, but, haven't bought any spuds since May and have loads in store. King Edwards were the maincrop Maris Peers 2nd earlies and 3 varieties of 1st tatties, Swift, Arran Pilot and will look the other up and let you know. I paid the grand total of £12 for all varieties (around 90 in total) and cannot believe the return. Even fellow plot holders still joke that I have a chippy shop somewhere! Hope for the same success next year. I did nothing special, nothing added to the ground, chitted and then planted with a bulb planter, earthed up once.

I think that Warrington must have been good for spuds this year as that sounds exactly the same as my experience.

[Snadger]

We have some dark 20Kg placcy bags we get loam delivered in at work.............time for a rummage in the skip methinks!!!!!!! Skiprat me??????Nah!!!!!!!

[Twinkle]

My Charlottes were lovely, if slightly scabby, but generally good yield.

Maris Bard - complete washout, poor yield and the ones I have fall apart and taste cack when cooked

Cara maincrop - pretty good yield despite the hens persistently unearthing them by dustbathing in my potato bed. Foliage blight to a serious extent but only lost about 1/4 of the yield to it. Slugs were my biggest problem so I may try the large scale bag planting next year too.

We did the "heaviest crop in a bag" with the schoolkids this year but I suspect there was some skulduggery afoot with some of the older kids

[Brengirl]

Please forgive me for not scrolling. What a fabulous site you have here. So much interaction and constructive comment I don't know where to start. I lurve growing spuds in my small garden. The only prob is that I use containers and am so impatient to see whats going on underneath that I pull and poke every day. I end up with broken falling tops and enough tatties for a couple of days. Oh the joy of finding a bigun.

[coreopsis]

I might join in with your tattie growing competition.Just give me some hints as what to grow.I haven't got much space,so decided to resign from PFA next year towards something with better yield.As general purpose potatoe I'm going to have Desiree and still thinking about King Edward(thought about Rooster but too similar to Desiree).Salad-I don't know,but any suggestions are welcome.
Both potatoes we had this year were maincrop.Most of the potatoes we eat are boiled,mashed or sometimes we have some chips.
So-what to go for?

[Snadger]

Please forgive me for not scrolling. What a fabulous site you have here. So much interaction and constructive comment I don't know where to start. I lurve growing spuds in my small garden. The only prob is that I use containers and am so impatient to see whats going on underneath that I pull and poke every day. I end up with broken falling tops and enough tatties for a couple of days. Oh the joy of finding a bigun.

I tend to be a bit of a 'furtler' meself as well!

[sewer rat]

I planted 25kg Foremost, 25kg Duke of York, 50kg Charlotte and 25kg Rooster.
Foremost - excellent yields of good size potatoes for a first early variety.
nice dry potato, skins quite scabby.
Duke of York - reasonable yield, little scab but localised from one plant to the next.
Charlotte - good yield, clean potatoes.
Rooster - excellent yilds so far, large evn sized and smooth tubers - result !

[basketcase]

Sounds like there could be a competition here next year.
You are allowed 1 seed potato in a container of a max size of 17litres and lets see who can produce the heaviest crop from that.
We could have 3 classes, First early, Second early and Maincrop.
What do you think?

Can we have a "Never grown a Spud in Anger" Beginner's Class too?