Can I plant my potatoes now ? (NE England)

**Bill HH** · 10-04-2014, 08:07 PM

It seems like everyone else is, unless you get particularly late frosts. If you plant them now it will be nearly May before they throw any greenery up and that is the bit that the frost damages.I have outside containers with nearly a foot of growth, but i am in Devon.

**Dorothy rouse** · 10-04-2014, 08:20 PM

I'm in Kent, my Earlies and main crop in about 3 weeks ago, the Earlies are all up and look good, and mains just beginning to peep thu, i'd say put them in, if weather suddenly deteriorates, you can throw a fleece if something over.

**wbmkk** · 10-04-2014, 08:22 PM

Originally posted by Dorothy rouse View Post

I if weather suddenly deteriorates, you can throw a fleece if something over.

I could throw some of my wife's coats ... she has enough of them

**Dorothy rouse** · 10-04-2014, 08:24 PM

Originally posted by wbmkk View Post

I could throw some of my wife's coats ... she has enough of them

Yeah, why not, you can buy her replacements, good plan"

**Potstubsdustbins** · 10-04-2014, 08:28 PM

just be aware there is a cold snap forecast for the Easter weekend.

Potty

**Compo72** · 10-04-2014, 08:47 PM

I'm from down the south in the north east
Literally have the airplanes from tees valley airport at the end of the garden

My first earlies went into med size containers couple weeks ago
They are up !
Will earth them up this weekend abit more

I'm surprised they up as the weather been mixed around here

I have some main crop to put in more containers soon
Will be Easter when I get time now

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**Llaminator** · 10-04-2014, 08:51 PM

Just thought I'd add to this thread. My first lot of earlier are well and truly up! They're looking great, and I'm keeping them well earthed up.

Hopefully a good sign of things to come!

**bretty666** · 10-04-2014, 08:57 PM

When should you start earthing up?? Mine went in on the 25march and i have small foliage popping up. do you cover the leaves aswell?

**TrialAndError** · 10-04-2014, 10:32 PM

Forget dates like Good Friday etc because weather conditions in the UK are so different depending on where you live. There is no one set date for planting potatoes, it depends where you live.

You live in Whitley Bay and the danger of frost (frost kills potato foliage dead) in most years has passed by the second week of May where you live.

Potatoes take 3 weeks or so from planting to appear above the soil - again that depends where you live because warm soil will make them appear earlier, colder soil slightly later.

So now you have the critical dates for Whitley Bay. What they mean is that you can safely plant your potatoes around NOW! There's no guarantee that there wont be a late frost in Whitley Bay just as soon as your spuds appear ground level but it's unlikely. Conversely there's no guarantee that the last frost date in Whitley Bay hasn't already passed. But stats show that in six out of seven years now is a good time to plant them.

There are a couple of gardening websites that will do all that calculation for you automatically if you tell them the town you live in and they do it for a range of vegetables. Google something like "when to plant potatoes frost danger uk" and you will find them.

But please no more advice that a given date is the best time to do anything in gardening without saying "in my area of the UK"! .... Had to get that off my chest!

**Knight of Albion** · 10-04-2014, 11:54 PM

For first earlies, yes, go for it. The seed potatoes will be well below ground in the short term, and in the medium term, when they start sprouting, even if there are some late chilly nights, you can always insulate them with sacking, newspapers, all manner of things...

**Nicos** · 11-04-2014, 12:03 AM

We have been here for 6 years now, and every single year our spuds have been knocked right back to the soil between the 3 rd and 9 th June.

Ours aren't in yet, and probably won't be for at least another 2 weeks....and they will probably still be hit by a frost...no rush for us, as the area we plant up with spuds is too big really to cover with fleece.

**Compo72** · 11-04-2014, 06:39 AM

If you look at last year everything was well behind with the cold weather
A lot depends on which way your ground is facing and which type of soil you have , drainage etc

in farming you can see crops facing south pick up in spring before other fields.

Then again I have been out walking on the north yorks moors looking for dotterels in early May
Had a snow shower !

Two weeks later 3 rd week in May generally farmers cut silage . Though if the weather is right , cut earlier

Apology going off topic

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**lottie dolly** · 11-04-2014, 07:05 AM

Originally posted by bretty666 View Post

When should you start earthing up?? Mine went in on the 25march and i have small foliage popping up. do you cover the leaves aswell?

earth up when the foliage appears,especially before frost,and yes you do cover the leaves to start with,

**wbmkk** · 11-04-2014, 01:22 PM

Thank you for all the replies.

I put in my 2nd earlies today (Kestrel)

I actually dug a trench about 4" deep, then dug holes to put the spuds in, so the tops are at about 4" below the normal ground surface. I then hoed up, so 'all in all' they are probably 7-8" under the surface.

I'll wait a couple of weeks for my maincrop spuds (Romano)

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