Grow Your Own Magazine

Hello

I am new to all this allotment business and I am getting excited at the thought of growing my own spuds!! What I want to know is how many will do? I have seen some 3kg bags of seed potatoes, will that be enough for a family?

Also do you chit maincrop potatoes?

Thanks
Lisa

It depends how many spuds you eat. We have split two 3kg bags of earlies (one first and the other second) with the neighbours but have a 3kg bag each of Arran Victory and Desiree and a 2.5kg bag of Maris Piper which will more than last us into the spring once stored.

We are only 3 but do get through a fair few spuds although I think this year we may have overdone it as the desirees were a good cropper in 2006. The AVs are a lighter cropper but such a good tasty spud. MPs are for chips/roasting which my husband is picky on. Heston Blumenthal when selecting for his roasties picked these based on flavour and they are very high in dry matter which means when properly cooked you get a crunchy outer and a soft fluffy middle.

If you are not sure what you want you can get 1kg bags (approx 10 tubers) from some garden centres which will allow you to try a number of varieties out. Otherwise if you are near to a potato day you can pick up a small number of seed pots of a wide variety of spuds there.

__________________
Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

Thanks for the recommendations. Gonna take a trip and get some tommorow. How exciting!!

Good question! It'll be a little hit and miss to start with, but you'll get a better idea of the variables year by year

1. Yield per plant - depends on cultivar, weather, soil, pests and diseases, cultivation method etc.
2. Storage conditions
3. Eating rate - your family may eat more home grown spuds because they're so good!

We grow for just the two of us, earlies/second earlies only (a new lottie neighbour always grows more maincrop than he needs and gives us a free sack that sees us through winter).

In the past, for a family of four eating potatoes 2-3 times a week, I planned for seed of 3kg 1st earlies, 3kg 2nd earlies and 9 kg mains is about right. At least it's a reasonable starting point!

Chit or not to chit - whatever you prefer, only don't chit maincrops.

__________________
SSx
not every situation requires a big onion

I'm not going to bother chitting this year...Monty Don told me not to bother. Incidentally, I am still digging up last year's pots that I missed...Pentland Javelin and Pink Fir Apple plus some mongrels.

My potatoes seem keen to chit regardless but I'm aiming to get the earlies in in the next couple of weeks so it shouldn't matter.

__________________
Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

Main thing is, once you've got your seed potatoes don't leave in the warm and the dark, otherwise they will develop long pale shoots just like the ones in the bag you forgot you had in the kitchen cupboard. I bought 3kg of Pentland Javelin from my local shop, then discovered Poundshop are selling 10 tubers of selected potatoes for £1, so bought a pack of Desiree. As I live on my own, I'd rather have smaller quantities of different varieties. I have unpacked all the spuds and stood them in egg trays (with labels so I don't forget which is which) They are now in the "conservatory" (posh name for back porch) waiting for spring to arrive.

Poundland at Telford are selling bags of 'Desiree' and 'Arran pilot'. Has anyone grown these types in pots?

hi lyndap i grew some arran pilot last year got a very good crop of tasty tatties and i didn't water them in the drought regards snuffy