Just an experiment!

[Snadger]

I have a load of plastic water barrels, some of which have had holes punched in the bottoms for use as a planter!

Here's the experiment:-

Put the barrel in a cold greenhouse! Fill bottom of barrel with 15" of strawy manure. Plant five International Kidney potatoes now! Put a sheet of glass or correx over top of barrel. Top up with strawy manure as tatties grow. In really frosty weather pile straw or shredded newspaper on top!

Worth taking a chance with five seed spuds methinks?

[Earthbabe]

What is there to lose Snadger? Other than five seed spuds. The strawy manure should keep things reasonably warm I would have thought and you could be eating IKs before the Jersey's are out but they won't taste the same.

Incidentally Miss EB and I planted her Smile in a pot and plonked it in the growhouse yesterday. The house has a fleece cover over it at the mo.

[pigletwillie]

I have some 5 gallon barrels in the tunnel doing the same Snadger, all planted with either 1 Formost or Lady Crystl and well covered with fleece.

[WiZeR]

To get things started in my polytunnel, I was going to plant 10 buckets with a spud in each. Might do this at the weekend.

[srodders]

My Jerseys are well under way now, earthed them up at the weekend and they have grown since then! In a tub in a greenhouse, and given a bit of sea weed so hopefully they will taste similar to the real Jerseys.

[Alice]

Good luck Snadger and everybody. I've got 8 buckets of Charlotte planted . I had a wee poke in with a finger yesterday and found 1 with growth up to just below the surface. Need to be really careful with the fleece now.

[mandyballantyne]

Hi Alice,

Can I ask if your potatoes are outside or in a greenhouse, I am desperate to get started. I think our weather is pretty similar so I would love to try...

Mandy

[Alice]

Hi Mandy, mine are outside. My greenhouse is not well sited for winter growing as the sun is low in the sky and it gets shaded. I have a good south facing area where the sun shines all day and it can be very warm there. The buckets are standing against the wall and I have glass frames leaning over them (the old french doors) and since the weather has gone frosty I've been putting some fleece over them.
If you're going to use potatoes from the supermarket just look for a Scottish grower (Tayside or something). They are disease free. That's where all the seed potato comes from. Give it a go and good luck.

[mandyballantyne]

Thanks Alice,

That is Saturday planned! I have chitting some supermarket organic potatoes (which grew well last year) so I will start them off. The seed taties have just gone on the window so I will leave them for a bit.

Intrestingly my Christmas ones planted out last Autumn never appeared but in digging over the ground on SUnday appear to have started to grow?? No leaves yet but lots of chits and they have not rotted. I think I will leave them for a bit and see what happens.

Mandy

[Geordie]

If you're going to use potatoes from the supermarket just look for a Scottish grower (Tayside or something). They are disease free.

Just a little sidenote if I may, commercialware or potatoes sold for eating will often have been treated with a very effective sprout suppressant called CIPC. This prevents them germinating and becoming soft in store. It also prevents germination effectivly if later planted as a 'seed' potato.

When buying seed spuds check the label, it should have an EU plant passport and carry one of 3 EU grades of seed potato. Namely EEC1, 2 and EEC3. I do agree with Alice that the best seed potatoes you are likely to find are Scottish EEC2, however many stores label nets as EEC3 as a catch all grade. There is no such thing as a worldwide passport, so beware.

Commercialware from any Country can carry more spores of bacterial and fungal pests. Non certified seed in many cases will carry yellow or white cyst nematodes, so think carefully before using supermarket spuds as seed potatoes.

[Earthbabe]

My Jerseys are well under way now, earthed them up at the weekend and they have grown since then! In a tub in a greenhouse, and given a bit of sea weed so hopefully they will taste similar to the real Jerseys.

But won't they then be Guernseys?

[srodders]

But won't they then be Guernseys?

Hmmm - got me on a technicality there - I'll let you know how they compare in a few months time

[dexterdoglancashire]

Doh! Yep, I know I'm being thick but am I right in thinking that I could plant some tatties in buckets in my greenhouse now for, hopefully an early crop? Having spent the last week digging and now have a cold (yes, my own fault, I know!) but could anyone suggest types of tatties to put in buckets?
Ta ta for now! DDL