Potatoes again (sorry)

[Potstubsdustbins]

The container in the last pic is a spare just for an odd one seed spud I had left over. All my main crop spuds go in either 80tr dustbins of 45 gallon recycled plastic water tanks like the ones you find in your loft if you don't have a combi boiler.

These tanks become redundant when a combi boiler is fitted and heating engineers will gladly give them a way just to get rid of them.

As to variety I am not sure but Picasso certainly do produce spuds high in the bin whilst Lady Christl don't seem to. This maybe do to the fact LadyC are a first early, some of which I leave in the bin for 18 weeks or so to get some very nice chippers and bakers like those in the pic.

Potty

[Kristen]

Picasso certainly do produce spuds high in the bin whilst Lady Christl don't seem to.

The only ones I grow in containers are First Early - I wonder if that's the reason then? First Early are less prone to producing tubers higher up their stems?

[Potstubsdustbins]

The more I think about it the more it seems to be a likely explanation. First earlies aren't really in the ground long enough, in a good year you can be harvesting Swift in as little as 8 weeks, LadyC 10-12 weeks.

Potty

[Chippy Minton]

Not sure if I mentioned it here, or somewhere else, but I read [in a recent edition of the RHS "The Garden"] the suggestion to plant 3 spuds near the bottom of Bags, and another 2 higher up, which then spreads the cropping vertically.

I tried that last year but I found that the ones from the bottom are growing so vigorously and the 2 upper ones need to establish roots that they get swamped out by the foliage (I was assuming planting the lower ones, earthing up to the middle then putting the upper ones in, maybe I should have just filled the barrel and put them in).

We live and learn.....

[Penellype]

My experience for what its worth, is the lazy way of doing it. Using the standard plastic canvas potato bags, which are the biggest I can lift myself, I put about 4 inches of compost in the bottom of the bag, then 3 or 4 seed potatoes, then I fill the bag with compost to about 4 inches below the top. I leave them in the garage until the leaves poke through the top of the compost, then I put them outside, cover with bubble wrap if frost is forecast, and water regularly. I haven't ever fed them. I would probably get more potatoes if I fed them but I find I get perfectly respectable yields of lovely clean potatoes this way, particularly from Desiree, which is an excellent variety. In autumn, as soon as they start to die down I take the bags indoors to avoid blight. I finished eating the last of the Desiree at the end of January and they were fine.

[Kristen]

I tried that last year but I found that the ones from the bottom are growing so vigorously and the 2 upper ones need to establish roots that they get swamped out by the foliage (I was assuming planting the lower ones, earthing up to the middle then putting the upper ones in, maybe I should have just filled the barrel and put them in).

In the RHS rag "The Garden" it said to add 1/3rd compost, then 3 tubers, then 1/3rd more compost and 2 tubers and them fill the bag up. The way I read it they mean to fill the bag to the top from the outset.

I'll try some-and-some this year so that I can compare them.

[NorthEastPhil]

In the RHS rag "The Garden" it said to add 1/3rd compost, then 3 tubers, then 1/3rd more compost and 2 tubers and them fill the bag up. The way I read it they mean to fill the bag to the top from the outset.

I'll try some-and-some this year so that I can compare them.

I like the sound of this, simple, works for my head.


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