Tatties

I'll start chitting them in a day or so. I've read that chitting maincrop spuds isn't supposed to make any difference to the crop at the end of the day, but it will enable me to rub off all sprouts bar 3 (on the TLC pot) to try for a maximum crop, but from experience of buying cheap/getting free spuds with extra long spindly shoots, I know that they can all be removed and will re-grow, so that might need to be a 2 stage process.

I've located my stash of reduced Superphosphate so I can tweak the fertilizer to increase the Phosphorus content.

 

I've had frost knock down everything above ground in up to and including early June (will try and find pics/post), but that's in my rural, edge of village, frost pocket plot.

If you keep drawing soil over the shoots as they emerge from the ground (AKA 'earthing up') that will protect them from frost, plus prevent light reaching the uppermost potatoes and turning them green and poisonous.

If they get too tall above earthed up level and would be exposed to frost, cover with old net curtains, sheets, fleece, etc., it helps to have bin bags full of these at the ready and monitor weather forecasts.

 

wow frost up till june!! thats insane!

thanks m,ate i will bury deep then and keep earthing up to protect them and to protect me from the poison

so with spuds the leaf's above the soil surface will not be killed if we have a frost then up till june?

thanks again

 

As you are in Southampton, that may not be the case for you

Not if you keep them covered. But, being in your location, it is unlikely (not impossible!) that they would be affected with frost as late as June. Mind you, with climate change ... ... should a frost be forecast, for *your* area, then follow @Scrungee 's advice and protect the growth (the leaves above the soil)

Well, that's how I've interpreted it

 

@"M" Advice from a potato expert is to have 300mm of soil beneath the pot + bank up around it, so a grow bag appears too shallow. I'm going to try using either a polypropylene potato bag or a 50L compost bag, 300mm of good compost/well rotted manure, plus filled up around the pot. An alternative would be to place it in open ground but that would prevent starting as early as possible in a polytunnel and bring it back inside whenever frost is forecast.

 

Growbags are around 750mm girth (cheapo) to 800mm girth (expensive), which if upended would have an average diameter of 247mm on which to perch a 10" pot with fully grown haulms above complete with some sort of support structure for them, so I thought it might prove unstable.

 

Be digging my International Kidneys at the weekend, frost burned the tops but didn't knock the plants back

 

Ah, found this thread at long last, thought potatoes were too boring to have an annual thread, might be easier to find under Potato Growing 2016

Like @fat controller and others, I'm trying potatoes for the first time this year. Since I live in potatoland where you can buy them cheap as anything especially the floury sort (my fave is the old King Edward still) I'm going for waxy salady potatoes. Also I only have a 5' x 8' bit of raised bed this year spare. So a bit of an experiment.

Visited my trusty local nursery but they sell the seed potatoes in largish bags, far too many for me. So got them at Wilkos. 75p for a bag of 5 of various varieties. Or a bag your own from loose which had a very good selection. A small bag - I got 15 Anjas in it - cost £1.50. So no waste and reasonable cost I think. Got a recommendation off Zig of Pink Fir Apple, but didn't have them anywhere. Did a bit of net research and ...

Anyway, I'm growing Anja, Nicola, and Jazzy. Put them in today as per various instructions in the raised bed, got four rows. Had a few left over so put some in a large planter (from when I bought a plum tree).

Oh and To Chit or Not to Chit. I think I read something that said, Real Men Don't Chit, so natch I didn't. Also, impatient and wanted to get mucky today!

Fingers crossed and good luck to other potato virgins.

GG

 

Well I'm a potato virgin this year.
Just trying a few Charlottes in two large plastic buckety type things

Oh, and I forgot to say I'm a little chitter

 

@Anthony Rogers when did you plant yours chitters out?
@JWK and ditto for yours and what are you growing apart from the Sarpos? Yes I did see that the Anjas were favoured by those who like the PFAs.
@fat controller how did your damaged chits fare in the end?