When do you order your seed potatoes

[Bill HH]

Having had blight decimate all my potatoes I am determined to get an early start and use blight resistant varietys such as Sapro Mira for the main crop even if they lack a bit of flavour, its them or nothing. When is the time to order these even if they are not shipped until its time to plant. I dont want to find they are all sold out.
Am I right to assume earlies are less likely to get blight? Can I start earlies off in the green house if so when? I will be using 40L buckets.

[WendyC]

Earlies aren't necessarily more blight resistance. It's the fact you will generally have harvested them before blight is around.
I will be ordering my potatoes soon. I want to grow Juliette again as it does much better for me than Charlotte. I can only find one supplier, Marshalls, this year who supply in bigger bags than I really need, but if I can't find any smaller I'll order them. Who knows I may have my second plot by then too.
You are right to order early if you want particular varieties.

[Dorothy rouse]

Ours orders via the Allotment Society, are already in, but the seed potatoes don't arrive until January.

[Two_Sheds]

Am I right to assume earlies are less likely to get blight?

Yes, but only because they are lifted before blight comes along (typically in late July/Aug)

Can I start earlies off in the green house if so when?

It makes no difference to the harvest time, I've found.
Last year I started planting spuds in the gh in Jan/Feb, one per fortnight up until my usual planting time of late March.
The very early ones didn't start putting on any growth until light levels were adequate, at which point ALL of them started growing together.

(I also then had the bother of hardening off the pot-grown plants before putting them outside)

I shan't bother starting them off super early again, it's a big waste of time and compost

[alldigging]

February potato day at Hulme Garden Centre.

[Bill HH]

Thanks, good sound advice from all of you. My sister grows only earlies but keeps some going as a main crop, is that sound practice? I bought five hessian sacks for my main crop, they hang in my shed empty as a reminder of the blight.
I am determined not to get caught again, I started my main crop far two late this year
so when the blight did strike they were still far too small.
Should I be considering a deterent spray to apply before next years plants are affected, if so what and when and does it even help?
I have been gardening for years but never potatoes until last year, not a good start.

[WendyC]

Some second earlies do well as early maincrop. Red Duke of York is one which springs to mind but I'm sure there are plenty more. This is a good way of hedging your bets. Harvest some as second earlies, keep some going, watching out for blight and be ready to cut the tops off if it strikes. Then at least you know you've got something.
I've never sprayed and I'm not even sure what's available or how effective they are. I've grown some of the Sarpo varieties but find most of them too floury for my taste. Blue Danube wasn't too bad from memory. Depends what you like and how you tend to eat them.

[Hazel at the Hill]

My neighbour at the Hill sprays his potatoes with Bordeaux mixture every 2wks from July as a precaution against blight. It's certified for organic use too (I think).

I don't bother spraying, but get my spuds in and out the ground quite early - I try to put them in about mid to late March, and the first and second earlys are dug up in July. The maincrop I leave for a bit, but whip the haulms off at the first sign of blight, then dig them up maybe a month later.

If you can find a potato day in Jan/Feb near to you, you will be able to buy by the tuber, and not have to have a big bag if you don't want. Get to the even early, though, as popular varieties go quite quickly.

[Fleurisa]

Our allotment shop places the order in October

[Thelma Sanders]

I've already ordered my Lady Christl spuds as they were in short supply last year, plus Marshalls had a free p&p offer on - so ordered garlic and potatoes weeks ago

My seconds and mains choices are bog standard varieties that I can get after xmas at the local garden centre

[WendyC]

Thanks for the reminder there was an offer from Marshalls to run out at the end of the month so ordered now!

[Paulieb]

This year I'll be going to a potato day for ALL my spuds. They're usually in Jan. Last year I went to one at ryton and one at dundry garden centre near cheltenham. At 20p pr tuber they're cheaper than any mail order (even including offers), you can hand pick you're tubers and you can have as many of each type as you like, and you get them immediately so you can start chitting.

You're prob best to order if you want a particular variety, however most potato days usually have really good availability.

This year in the long cold spring I don't think we benefitted at all from planting early and my first crop was at end of May. However when I started some early earlies in feb 2012, they romped away (in a bucket in the gh), and I harvested then on 29 April.

[Bren In Pots]

I buy mine as soon as my local corn merchant has them in stock usually its January.

[Yasai]

This year I'll be going to a potato day for ALL my spuds. They're usually in Jan.

Thanks for this. Had no idea there was such a thing. Thanks to you, I've located a couple that I may be able to get to. Have never grown spuds before so I'm looking forward to it.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I shall order early in November, Red Duke of York, Lady C and Picasso. If you want a spud to leave in the ground to grow on I can recommend Lady C. Every year I leave a few in to grow some chippers & bakers, to my taste they are very nice to.

The season just gone was not a good one for starting of spuds in the GH The prolonged cold spell held things back for a good length of time and it should therefore not be seen as typical.

2012 I put down my sets on 23/02 in a cold GH, first green was 02/03 and first harvest 16/05. 2013 I delayed planting until 05/03 and even with a heater in place germination took 24 days.

The pic is a Morrison's flower bucket with the harvest of Lady C from a 45ltr trug that I left to grow on for 16/17 weeks.

Potty