yannovitch Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 hello everyone, just a question: i want to grow potatoes in pots... i know about the earthing up etc... (how firm does the compost need to be, by the way?) do i need to feed the potatoes at any point? i'd like to get the best possible crop... Thank you for any advice, Yann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 I've tried potatoes in the ground, in raised beds and in big tubs and without doubt, I have the very best success with big tubs When I say big, I mean big. The one's I have are around 3ft in diameter (from a tree supplier ) and I use fresh compost every year - New Horizon Organic Peat Free is my favourite. I start with a good few inches in the bottom on the tub and then I sit 3 - 5 chitted potatoes on top, then I add compost to just cover them. As the shoots start to come through, I keep adding compost to just keep them covered, until the compost is nearly at the top. I never firm it down but I do make sure that it gets plenty of water (no shortage of natural watering this year!!). Harvesting is much easier because I just remove the stems and s"Ooops, word censored!"e away the compost until I've found enough spuds for dinner. I leave the rest in the tubs until I need them, that way they always taste freshly picked. The compost is never wasted - it either goes onto my flower beds or raised beds as a mulch. It is more expensive using compost rather than garden soil, but I've always had problems with virus/pests/diseases whenever I've tried soil, whereas (tempting fate and touching wood), I've always been successful with tubs and compost. This year, just about the only thing I've had any success with has been my spuds in tubs. I couldn't get much else to germinate (no carrots or beetroot at all), I have about five leeks, one courgette (nearly!!) and three tomato plants with some tiny green bullets on. Not the best growing season I've known ..... I'm seriously thinking about a small poly tunnel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happymama Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I used Thompson and Morgan's Exhibition bags this year, and they went absolutely mad, got loads in spite of not even getting to flower with the weather. i used a mix of home made compost and grow bag contents, half and half, for mine, and just bunged it in as they grew, didn't firm it in at all, and I've still got five bags left full of them to be lifted very soon (yellow eel worms on the advance) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deag Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 How do I know when to harvest the pots It sounds all toooooooooo easy. Can I also plant Maris Piper that have started to have shoots??? Thanks Deag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 It depends on the variety - earlies are harvested in the summer for new potatoes, maincrops in autumn for big spuds. The haulms (green bits that grow above the ground) start to wilt once the tubers are grown and ready to harvest. Do you know what sort you have? It's a bit early to plant seed potatoes outdoors - Good Friday is the traditional day to do it! Mine started to sprout in their box because it was so mild in January, so I've put them in a seed tray in a light frost-free place so that they start developing into proper green shoots instead of long pale ones. Apparently the best way to get a good crop (according to Bob Flowerdew) is to water them really well at one particular stage - I think it's when they start to flower, but I'd have to check my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Spooky. I have just returned from the garden centre and they had lots of different types of seed potatoes. I bought king edward as they did quite well last year. £1.25 per kilo. That is a lot cheaper than mail order last year with worked out at £6 for 2 kilos Might pop back tomorrow and get some earlies and salad varieties. (also bought 5 beech plants, 17 cottage garden plants, some snowdrops, onion sets and a ball of string! You have to buy string, don't you)?? Might try some of the potatoes in compost bags this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I have one of these set ups from Marshalls, & my first lot are chitting away ready to go in their bag at the end of this month You can then buy refills for the sack for future years GROW SACK TASTER KIT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Any idea where I can get the sacks without the potatoes Cinnamon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I'm going to use stacks of tyres. I've been collecting them from layby's etc ready for spudding up - there is an area behind my oil tank (the veggie garden is in front of it) where the ground has a lot of concrete under it and nothing much grows so I'm going to put the spud stacks over there. Watering will be courtesy of the soaker hose from the water butt. I've got Maris Pipers and Charlottes which are my 2 personal faves. I've never done this before - Good Friday sounds good but Easter is VERY early this year so does this still stand? I always follow these old dictums - in my old house which is now my investment property I have 2 ornamental boxes in the front garden and I always go by "never prune your boxes before Derby Day". Thats what I tell the tenants too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 There is loads of useful info about potato growing here http://www.potatoesforschools.org.uk/ also some good video clips - I used them at school where our potatoes are chitting away happily!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I'm going to use stacks of tyres. We're hoping to do that, as our brother-in-law's brother has some old tyres he doesn't need. I've never done this before - Good Friday sounds good but Easter is VERY early this year so does this still stand? I'm going to give it a try - my "Orla" seed potatoes are more than ready to plant already! Easter is determined by the phase of the Moon, which some folk reckon affects crops. If the weather in March is horrid, you could try leaving it a whole month, i.e. until 18th April - Good Friday was on 14th April in 2006, so it's not too late to plant potatoes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) I got some potato growing bags for Christmas. I'd better get cracking with buying my seed potatoes! Edited February 12, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Any idea where I can get the sacks without the potatoes Cinnamon? You could try the Marshalls site - they might do them. In the starter kit you do only get 3 seed pots for each sack, which you could get rid of on here I am sure The sacks I got are a much nicer deeper brown than pictured Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Just counted mine and I have 121 seed potatoes, so 11 rows then! I have: Arran Pilot (First Earlies) British Queens (Second Earlies) Desiree (Main Crop) Maris Piper (Main Crop) I didn't grow enough potatoes last year so I'm giving up a bit of my allotment to accomodate for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 You wait until you are half way through planting them, you will find a new definition of tired Potato planting happens at a time of year when fitness is not at it's best and we find planting the 7 or so 30 foot rows that we grow every year a real killer. Digging them up is fun at first a bit like a treasure hunt but again you lose the will to live towards the end We planted up two black sacks with 3 spuds in each in the greenhouse at the weekend - Arran pilot. Is there anywhere on the net that shows the biodynamic planting scheme for 2008? I am loathed to buy another book because it was expensive and I have trouble because of our chaotic lives to stick to it but i would like to have a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Easter is determined by the phase of the Moon, which some folk reckon affects crops. If the weather in March is horrid, you could try leaving it a whole month, i.e. until 18th April - Good Friday was on 14th April in 2006, so it's not too late to plant potatoes Oooh I have a friend who is a witch and she's always telling me stuff about the moon - she says James is in tune with the moon. I'll ask her for more information about the moon affecting crops. Her husband is a farmer too - I wonder if he listens to her. Oh and she keeps chickens in her garden - they don't live in the farmhouse but a bungalow down the road and they have an ark with 2 chooks in the garden. I dont' think they free range though as they could walk straight out of the barred fence and into a field full of cows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Easter is determined by the phase of the Moon, which some folk reckon affects crops. If the weather in March is horrid, you could try leaving it a whole month, i.e. until 18th April - Good Friday was on 14th April in 2006, so it's not too late to plant potatoes http://www.lunarorganics.com/moon_gardening_principles.html I think there is more to it than one day a lunar month that is appropriate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
