How many potatoes to grow?

**gardenpassion** · 05-02-2012, 10:03 PM

Hi,
I am a newbie, but only did 5 tubers last year and regretted doing so few!
this year I am staggering them so have 2 lots of first earlies, 2 of second earlies and 3 maincrop. so expecting a long season. REading lots of books shows a difference of opinion, but I think they need

First earlies: 12" apart and 2ft between rows
Maincrop: 15' apart and 30" between rows.

Anything less results in a smaller crop I believe.

anyway, potatoes are great, and nothing beats digging up the first earlies

. so have fun!

**Potstubsdustbins** · 05-02-2012, 10:05 PM

I have no knowledge of growing in the ground but I have 4/5 Lady C to a dustbin/planter. Whether you could get away with that in open ground I wouldn't know.

Colin

**Alison** · 05-02-2012, 10:07 PM

Do you mean your total areas is 2m by 1m or that of each bed. If that's the total area then I'd definitely not want to put anymore spuds in a bed that size so am guessing that people are on the whole using more land or growing in bags / pots. I devote 3 No 4' by 10' beds outside on the lottie and a smaller one in the polytunnel every year which pretty much sees us through most of the winter but we do eat quite a lot of grains as well. It also depends on if you are growing main crops or earlies. My earlies I plant one seed potato per square foot but grow most of them in the tunnel. For main crop I vary a bit depending on what I'm wanting. I'll always grow some further apart to get bigger spuds but will also plant 3 No across the 4' bed with 6 along the length ie a total of 18 in the 10' by 4' beds if that makes sense. This works well for me but other people prefer different spacing.

**Alison** · 05-02-2012, 10:09 PM

Originally posted by gardenpassion View Post

Hi,
I am a newbie, but only did 5 tubers last year and regretted doing so few!
this year I am staggering them so have 2 lots of first earlies, 2 of second earlies and 3 maincrop. so expecting a long season. REading lots of books shows a difference of opinion, but I think they need

First earlies: 12" apart and 2ft between rows
Maincrop: 15' apart and 30" between rows.

Anything less results in a smaller crop I believe.

anyway, potatoes are great, and nothing beats digging up the first earlies

. so have fun!

A lot of that instruction is to ensure sufficient space between for earthing up. I don't earth up really but mulch to some extent until the foilage shadows the soil out anyway. I do however grow in beds that I don't tread on and can reach from both sides so no need to allow for walkways between.

Also, just for curiosity, why are you going to stagger main crop? Can understand earlies but main crop aren't eaten fresh and later plantings have a greater risk of blight.

**daylily** · 05-02-2012, 10:22 PM

Originally posted by hamamelis View Post

I've just been looking through at some of the 'what I did today' and general potato threads, and couldn't help noticing the number of spuds some people appear to be chitting- 20 or more of each variety.

That's how they tend to come. For a reason, too, reasonable size of crop for the avarage family.

I have two beds at the allotment about 2m by 1m, waiting for potatoes, and last year in about the same size bed I think I planted about 15 spuds total.. So am I just planting far too few, too far apart, or are other people dedicating much more space to theirs?

Yes, much more space.

**hamamelis** · 05-02-2012, 10:44 PM

2 beds of 2m x 1m. Maybe a bit wider- I measure with the 'what I can reach from both sides.. ehh.. that's about right' rule, not a ruler.

I've been buying mine loose- partly to experiment a bit to see what I like, and what grows best. I'm doing about half early, half maincrop.
Anyone like to give an estimate on how many of each I could fit in? I think I'm having one bed for each crop this year, though several varieties in each if I get around to it!

**daylily** · 05-02-2012, 10:52 PM

Originally posted by hamamelis View Post

2 beds of 2m x 1m. Maybe a bit wider- I measure with the 'what I can reach from both sides.. ehh.. that's about right' rule, not a ruler.

I've been buying mine loose- partly to experiment a bit to see what I like, and what grows best. I'm doing about half early, half maincrop.
Anyone like to give an estimate on how many of each I could fit in? I think I'm having one bed for each crop this year, though several varieties in each if I get around to it!

that's about the size of my desk I'm looking at. Four like?

**salome2001** · 06-02-2012, 09:36 PM

I'm chitting 7 first earlies (Maris Bard), 7 second earlies (Vivaldi), and of maincrops 10 each of Rooster and Maris Piper, plus three each of Rudolph (an experiment since the spuds were from an Asda packet so don't know if they'll grow) and three Purple Majesty (seed swapped extra!)

These will comprise 4 x 3.6m rows on the allotment (plus a couple in patio tubs on the deck at home)

It's a lot, but we eat a lot of potatoes, and I'm also trying to break up the soil on a neglected, compacted clay plot, so the tatties are working hard for me

**solway cropper** · 06-02-2012, 09:41 PM

One year I grew all my earlies in those plastic flower buckets from Morrisons and averaged about 1kg of spuds per bucket. I reckon you can get at least 21 and possibly 32 of those buckets in a 2 x 1m space so that's potentially 32kg of spuds per bed. The advantage of container growing is that you just tip out the bucket to harvest and no worrying about 'volunteers' left behind.

If you do one bed of first earlies they'll be finished in time for you to follow on with another crop.

**VirginVegGrower** · 06-02-2012, 10:15 PM

Good job none of you can see my dining table. I'm into three figures comfortably...runs away to hide some.

**Thelma Sanders** · 06-02-2012, 11:30 PM

I do 20 earlies in a bed 1.2m x 4.5m (2 rows lengthwise) plus
24 seconds or early mains in a bed 2m x 4.5 (3 rows of 8) on the allotment.
In the garden I do a few tubs of Pink Fir Apples and Charlottes.

I'm still waiting for the JBA delivery, should be tomorrow- will then start chitting

**daylily** · 06-02-2012, 11:37 PM

So, what is the crop, you squeezing in guys are getting?

**Two_Sheds** · 07-02-2012, 08:24 AM

Originally posted by gardenpassion View Post

First earlies: 12" apart and 2ft between rows
Maincrop: 15' apart and 30" between rows.

I don't have rows, I have beds, so I plant all my spuds about 15" apart in each direction.

I always have some left over, so I tend to stick them anywhere there's a gap

**Currysniffa** · 07-02-2012, 08:33 AM

Originally posted by VirginVegGrower View Post

Good job none of you can see my dining table. I'm into three figures comfortably...runs away to hide some.

You prompted me to have a count how many I'd got chitting away

well into 3 figures too, mine are on top of our wardrobes lol. Although I think its safe to say I've not got as many different variates as you VVG I'm only @ 8, 3 firsts, 2 seconds and 3 main crops

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