Potatoes plus Mushroom compost

Evening all.

I've grown my fair share of potatoes over the years, and helped my dad with his. The best crop (in terms of both quality and quantity per plant) I ever saw was one that me and my dad grew in pretty much pure horse manure (and straw from the stable floors).

That was until I started harvesting this year's crop in my back garden.

The soil in my garden was diabolical. Solid clay, severely compacted and malnourished after I guess years of neglect (prior to us buying the place). Following advice from on here, from Ziggy I believe, I bought a load of mushroom compost, quite a lot of this went onto my tattie patch.

I harvested the first plant a couple of weeks or so ago and the yield was disappointing to say the least. The plant appeared to be ready but in hindsight it was probably just starved out by the surrounding larger plants.

A couple of days ago I dug up one plant, and got a good half a carrier bag full of lovely new potatoes.

Tonight, I did another one plant. The spuds just kept coming. It was like I'd accidentally bust a tattie sack. I pushed the fork in and lifted and loads just spilled out. When I pulled the plant up, there were loads more still attached. The usually scooping about in the surrounding soil looking for stragglers and escapees revealed loads more. That one plant gave us over half a carrier bag full of lovely potatoes.

The soil, now the mushroom compost has worked in nicely and the tatties have done their breaking up trick, is spot on.

So, two things, first up big thanks to Ziggy who persuaded me to invest in some mushroom compost.

Secondly, if you want a bumper crop of delicious tatties, get yourself a couple of pallets of mushroom compost. I spent £156 and got 60x 50 litre sacks which does my entire garden.

 

Well done clueless. It's been a very good year for potatoes with me too. I just use my garden compost and plenty of fertilizer, but the watering makes a big difference so all this recent rain has really helped. Wickes are selling their multipurpose at £13 for 4 bags of 75 litres, it works out a penny cheaper than your mushroom compost.

 

Even cheaper if you have a Wickes 'loyalty' card as Mrs Scrungee & I (2 accounts) received yet another three £5 off a £30 spend vouchers in today's post.

 

Yes I've got one of those Wickes cards, plus I buy everything on a cash back credit card which saves another 1% - (every little helps).

 

Blimey Dave,

You mean i've actually given some usefull advice:D

I'm well pleased for you Now we just have to get those eringium roots to produce something good in you seaside garden:yess:

 

Its done wonders Zig. As far as the garden is concerned its the best investment I've ever made. Apart from doing wonders for the spuds, the soil in that patch is now about as good as it gets. It will probably just get better over the next few years too, as the mushroom compost breaks down more and integrates even better with the clay. A light top dressing of any compost or manure once a year in autumn should be enough to keep the soil lovely from now on.

That shipment of 60 sacks has done the tattie patch, top dressed the new lawn, gone in some containers, broke up the soil in the lad's play area, and I still have a few sacks left to do the front garden and the scary bit at the far end of the back that I haven't got to yet. That plus the fact that the big heap up the land is nearly ready all means that my soil woes will be well and truly over in time for next spring.

 

Nice one Dave

Had any mushrooms off it yet?

 

No mushrooms, but the supplier did say it was sterilised after use so I don't really expect any.