Successional Tatties

[Bigmallly]

I know this topic was discussed last year but can't find any evidence to suggest it was completed so I'm gonna try & give it a go. As I have a load of deep flower buckets, working on a 15 week sow to harvest, I'm gonna plant 1 tattie in a bucket each week, number them, then when I get to week 15, harvest bucket No1, top it up, replant & label it No16. Through the colder months, they will go in the polytunnel with extra protection........straw, newspaper, fleece........anything to protect them from frost.......the aim is to harvest a bucket of spuds every week for 52 weeks..........

Right, now it's your turn to confirm what a nutter you all think I am................

[Nicos]

..............remember in winter they will need extra light so they can photosynthesize

sounds like an interesting experiment!
Good luck with that...and remember to share your results

[veggiechicken]

Would it be my experiment that you remember? The one I forgot all about after a couple of weeks http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...und_69373.html

..............and yes, you are a Nutter

[lottie dolly]

IT's good to have you back on top form,carry on the good work,

[Bigmallly]

..............remember in winter they will need extra light so they can photosynthesize

Go on, put mockers on it before I have even started................

[Penellype]

Last year I grew Duke of York earlies in bags and when I'd harvested them I put in some Sarpo Axona, which are a maincrop. I don't have a greenhouse so when forsts were forecast I covered the bags with fleece and then moved them to the garage, where I harvested them (and some maincrop Desiree with the tops removed when they died down) well into February. I can't say the Sarpo Axona crops were great, but I think if you used an early variety rather than a maincrop and had a polytunnel instead of a dark garage, it could well work. A friend of mine overwintered some potatoes (unknown variety) planted in November in her unheated greenhouse and harvested some perfectly respectable new potatoes in April. Not sure this would work in a very cold winter though!

[mothhawk]

So bucket 16 will be about the beginning of September. How far into the autumn can you keep planting them and have them germinate?

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

On a similar note! But not as to that extent BM! I have held back a few "Chitted" tatties with a view to planting a little later than usual just to see the result!

You live n learn!

[Bigmallly]

So bucket 16 will be about the beginning of September. How far into the autumn can you keep planting them and have them germinate?

If I use 1st earlies which should mature around the 12 week mark, the plan is to allow the extra couple of weeks for them to grow in the cooler months so hopefully all year round...........time will tell.

[Greenleaves]

You could always build a hot bed? I say that without an inkling of how.....but it sounded good

[Bigmallly]

My thoughts for the colder months was to plant & fill the buckets 2"-3" from the top, add a layer of straw then cover the bucket with black plastic somehow tied at the top. An X would then be cut in the plastic to allow it to grow through............Obviously frost will be the main concern.

[solway cropper]

From my experience trying to grow spuds in cold weather I found that they simply don't produce a crop. They seem to need a minimum temperature in order to produce tubers and mine simply didn't have anything under the soft top growth. Give it a go by all means...the result will be interesting.

First earlies will give a crop in 10-12 weeks in ideal conditions. Last year's very cold spring meant that the first of my earlies in the greenhouse took 16 weeks+ to give any sort of yield worth talking about.

[Bigmallly]

That's why I was working on the 15 week timescale............it's only a bit of fun at the end of the day & will give me something to look forward to on those long cold dark winters nights............

[Two_Sheds]

..............remember in winter they will need extra light so they can photosynthesize

I tried early early planting in the gh, inspired by VeggieChicken's thread. I think I started in Feb, planting a new potato every fortnight up until "normal" planting time on the allotment.

What happened? Nothing really. Not until "normal" planting time, when they all mostly decided to start growing (when the daylight is long & strong enough for them to grow).

[JoeDaStudd]

Don't forget to keep one back for sprouting from each crop to keep it going :-p
Sounds like a nice plan.
I tried winter/Christmas potatoes last year (greenhouse with a cover at night), but in November they gave up and died.