Early potatoes - how early do you plant yours?

[VirginVegGrower]

I usually plant my first earlies back end of March, but my allotment neighbour reckons he's planting his in February and covering them over...I assume with fleece or mulch sheet. How early do other people plant their's?

[mudpies]

5 Rocket tubers first, in a big bin in the polytunnel, covered in fleece, soon as the calendar says Feb....nearly there now!

[Jamesy_uk]

I took a chance last year and put them in at the start of March, after that I just kept an eye on the weather and if it threatened frost I went and covered up any growing tips sticking out the ground.

P.S - Pentland Javelins.

[zazen999]

I was going to put some in at the weekend due to the lack of frost but the very next day we had bad frost - so I am going to try some in the next few weeks with lots of fleece and netting and see what occurs.

My others all go in on or around March 17th though.

[chris]

St Patrick's day here too

[jacob marley]

I always used to plant on the second sunday in march the whole lot earlies second earlies and main crop the plot was nice and light so it worked ok.
When i worked on a large market garden we always started planting on good friday it was tradition..jacob

[northepaul]

I was going to say end of March, but st Patricks day sounds better to me!!

[Capsid]

Just like to point out that the term "earlies" refers to the harvest time not planting time.

[Nicos]

When we first started with the lottie we only really had the time to get stuck in over the long Easter weekend. We had cold clay soil so any earlier seemed pointless.

When we moved to the new allotment the soil was very peaty and light to work and warmer- so mid March.

When we moved here we thought- woo hoo!!!..MUCH further south...we'll be able to plant out earlier....NOPE!....
Over the past 2 years our last frosts were 6th June and 10th June- a couple of weeks later than in Cheshire.

What I'm saying is that when we've had these late frosts we've lost between 60-90% of the top growth- and it's taken at least 2 weeks for new growth to show through. Seems a waste of energy to me- probably resulting in a slightly reduced crop production????
To fleece sound a brill idea- but not possible for us with about 250 spuds, and very high winds.
As we've had bad blight for the past couple of years it IS tempting to get them in earlier hhhmmm...dilemma, dilemma

As blight is more certain than a late frost I think we'll go with mid-March again and cross our fingers

[Bren In Pots]

Mine go in at the end of March to early April depending on the weather.

[Aberdeenplotter]

20th April up here for me. Any earlier and we are guaranteed to have them flattened by frost

[VirginVegGrower]

St Patricks Day was used by me last year, but Easter Good Friday tradition falls when this year? I don't like the idea of having to keep fleecing, just in case. Although I do need the space in that bed by June...

[VirginVegGrower]

Just checked and 6th April for GF planting. Early again this year!

[chucks]

Paddys day for me too, with fleece cover, but going to try my pentland javelins in bags this year so am going to put them in mid-late Feb.

[Alison]

My early earlies in the polytunnel are chitting and will plant out in about a month's time, the same as last year but they are obviously protected. The rest of my spuds, earlies, seconds and main crop will all be planted out mid April as normal.