Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi Everyone! Was looking in the latest GYO and theres an ad for Marshalls selling bags to grow potatoes in (3 bags and seed potatoes for £13.95+p&p) which I thought looked like a great idea as we only have a 1/2 plot and not much room for too many potatoes. I cannot work out when to plant the seed potatoes though! Any ideas? Potatoes seem so complicated with all the talk of first earlies, second earlies etc!

Its our first full year on the plot this year and we've just sorted out our plan - so exciting! Can't wait to start a-growing after the winter!

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Hi Newbietogardening,

You can start first earlies off in March outdoors or after the last frost. Where about are you located? It will help to tell you when this will be for you.

Normally the seed potatoes come with instructions or try this link.

http://potatoes.thompson-morgan.com/growing-potatoes

Hope this helps, Mandy

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No mater when time you set out, you always get there at the same time

Hi NTG .... hang on ... thats my initials
I wouldn't buy them at £14 a time. Get some black florist buckets ( theres plenty of advice where to get them from on here), Tubs from your local £ shop or even old Compost bags and use them .... Much cheaper.

I always tell folks not to use spuds from the garden centre in case of disease, but if you're growing in pots at home it's not so much of a problem ( I usually buy the odd bag for this). Varieties like Maris Peer, Charlotte or Elizabeth and I don't care about the timing as I've got a greenhouse thats frost free so I've got some ready to go in now for after Christmas and then there will be a few more after them so we have New potatoes from Christmas till the ones in the Lottie come up. I have to say as well that I do wonder if it's worth the hassle of growing spuds whan you think that they tie up your plot for so long and I could grow extra Chrysanths or Dahlia's on there

One thing to remember, Spuds are a hungry crop so they will need loads of food to get good yeilds, I usually use a mix of John Innes No3 & soilless and feed with 1/2 strength tom food at every watering and make sure they don't dry out when it gets near to harvesting.

Hope this helps

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Hello Newbietogardening. The price doesn't look good to me. Any container, poly bag reused compost bag will do.
As to the confusion over first earlies etc
these terms refer to how long the poatatoes need to grow to maturity.
You can plant any kind at any time as long as they have the required number of frost free weeks.
Roughly - earlies - 13 weeks
mains - 18 weeks
lates 22 weeks.
Different potatoes have different characteristics - salad potatoes, good for roasting etc
and give different yields - mains will give heavier crops than earlies, but the characteristics will be different
Hope this helps in some way.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Thanks everyone - thats most helpful! Hadn't thought about going to the £ shop and getting something from there, great idea!

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I posted a question a couple of weeks ago about tubs to use for potatoes and there were some great suggestions buckets, bins, cardboard boxes I was going to buy those potato bags as well and I think now there a rip off. Have a look in the ''search'' and type in potato and it will give you loads of advice (I'm going to use the cardboard box theory)
Good Luck