Planting First Early Potatoes

[Artisan]

I am trying for the first time to grow first early Arran Pilot potatoes in the ground instead of planters. The bed has been prepared with the addition of compost and a dressing of chicken manure pellets and the potatoes are chitted. My question is, although most of the hints and tips say that they should be planted out from middle March as I live in the south west of England can I plant them slightly earlier, say, within the next few days?

[Penellype]

I absolutely wouldn't. The weather is nice and mild at the moment, but it is going downhill from here - Monday and Tuesday are looking particularly cold, even in the south west:





While it may not get down to this level, I would definitely back off planting anything that is not absolutely hardy until we see what the situation is nearer the time.

[burnie]

I planted some out early one year when I lived in Leicestershire, we then had a late frost one morning that had the tops all white. A chap who lived nearby told me to water them quickly before the sun got strong to remove the frost. His theory was that the ice acted like a magnifying glass and would burn the plants(it never crossed his mind about the cell structure being bust by the internal expansion of the frozen liquid inside the plant), well I watered them anyway and bless him, they were alright and grew on. I think I was lucky and will not be repeating the same mistake. Well into March before I will be planting mine out, but then I am a fair few hundred miles north of you. I believe they are planting in Jersey at this time, but they don't get the frosts we get on the mainland.

[Artisan]

Thank you for the advice. Although we get few frosts here in Mid Devon I'm going to take your advice and plant out the first early potatoes from the middle of March and my second early potatoes from the beginning of April. My trouble is I'm just too impatient to get going!

[Penellype]

I'm impatient too. Just to prove a point, I've planted 2 Arran Pilot this morning. These are in a bucket wrapped snugly in bubble wrap, sitting on top of a hotbed made from fresh horse manure and covered with a plastic blowaway cover. I am far from confident that the heat from the hotbed will be enough to stop the compost from freezing at the currently forecast temperatures, or that by the time the foliage appears (if it survives that long) the forecast cold spell will be over. Basically I expect these to die, but since I have more seed potatoes than I intended to buy this year I thought the experiment was worthwhile. We will see.

[4Shoes]

Chit now..
Plant 4th week March for Exeter


Mine have to wait until 2nd / 3rd week April

[Thelma Sanders]

Penellype: but since I have more seed potatoes than I intended to buy this year I thought the experiment was worthwhile.

Funnily enough that's just what I've come round to thinking... got compost into the greenhouse ready to plant a couple up tomorrow They've got the usual 2 choices lol

[Jimny14]

Plant earlies late and lates early I've heard. So wouldn't risk early early spuds in open ground even earlier. Think the standard advice is plant 2 weeks before the last frost. I've always thought that it's pretty clever if you know when your last frost will be.

[Penellype]

That's always the big question. For the last 2 years here (when I have planted my first earlies in February) the last frost has been on 26th April. And a damn nuisance it was too, both years, as it was the coldest night of the "winter". My garden looked like an advert for bubble wrap and fleece.

[Thelma Sanders]

Plant earlies late and lates early I've heard

Dunno where that one comes from, but if you plant them late, you wouldn't be harvesting any early potatoes would you?

I've always planted a few extra earlies in tubs in the greenhouse in the hope of a very early harvest. It usually works, but maybe not this year with the very cold weather that has been forecast

[Jimny14]

Dunno where that one comes from, but if you plant them late, you wouldn't be harvesting any early potatoes would you?

I think the theory means not to be tempted to sow earlies early and risk them getting caught by frost and make sure main crops go in in good time to ensure plenty growing time as they take longer to come to maturity. I always thought early potatoes were classified as such as they take fewer days to come to maturity. So you'd still get earlies, just more guaranteed not to get frosted and a little later than if you make a risky early planting.

[4Shoes]

Yes, they all go in same time ish. Growing times are approx.

Early 10 weeks
2nd 13 Weeks
Early Main 15 Weeks
Main Crop 20 weeks

Aye, there are lots of saying like that... All got to do with cold...

Like don't cast your jacket till May

[Jimny14]

Indeed, grandad often said "ne'er cast a clout until May is out". Although recently I've understood it to more likely refer to the May flower (hawthorn) rather than the month. Although up here we still need a coat in May.

[Jonnyt]

I'm also in the South West and my allotments next to the sea so a couple of degrees warmer than inland. I'll be planting mine in the first two weeks of March.

Normally we get no frosts in April when these will be above ground, but last year we had a very late one on the 25th/26th April which blackened the tops of some of them, but they all recovered.

[Penellype]

I'm also in the South West and my allotments next to the sea so a couple of degrees warmer than inland. I'll be planting mine in the first two weeks of March.

Normally we get no frosts in April when these will be above ground, but last year we had a very late one on the 25th/26th April which blackened the tops of some of them, but they all recovered.

It is always much warmer in winter near the sea.