Grow Your Own Magazine

I would like to plant some xmas day spuds in an old water butt that's been cut down. Is it too late? If not can someone recommend a variety? A good Roaster.

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Blogging Again at..
http://www.wizer.co.uk

I would say that it's much too early.

End of August into September is more likely to give you a "fresh" crop at Christmas. An early variety is more sensible than a maincrop - it's not going to give you traditional "roasters", though.

If you plant them now, you will have potatoes but you will have to store them.

I tried it once but didn't get a crop at all, by the way, so perhaps my advice should be taken with a pinch of salt!

Can you use some of the potatoes growing now to plant in Sept for winter crop, or would it be best to buy fresh tubers (if you can get hold of them at that time of year)?

Dr Hessayon says to keep some nice spuds from your first harvests to plant in September for Christmas spuds.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

I keep back some from my Spring crop.

You can sometimes find late ones for sale through the seed catalogues.

Disease wise, it's probably always best to buy certified seed potatoes - but for a small crop in a container it is unlikely to cause a problem using your own as long as the plants are healthy.

Carlingford seem to be the ones to grow and you should be able to get them from all the leading seed merchants.

I tried Christmas Jersey Royals for last year and they are just flowering now!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Well, that's another good idea you vines have given me so thank you - and to Wizer for asking the question. I'm off on a hunt through the seed merchant catalogues ...!

When would be the best time to buy for Xmas spuds? I was thinking about trying that too.

C

Personally I am hoping to keep a few seed spuds back. If they get too wrinkly looking, they will get put into pots but if I can get them to keep till September then that's the way I will go, I will also keep a couple of smaller spuds from the first buckets to be harvested. Otherwise, I harvest my spuds and store them in a bucket of clean, dry compost - keeps the 'new spud' taste (might be totally the wrong thing to do mind you but it worked for me last year)

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Thompson & Morgan sell potatoes to grow for Christmas but they're not 'roasters' . They deliver them late July/early August & recommend Carlingford, they have a special offer on at the moment - see link.
http://potatoes.thompson-morgan.com/

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

An old farm foreman who was my neghbour told me to use Majestic (which is a maincrop) and plant half at the corrrect time and bury the other half in a biscuit tin deep in the ground! Later in the year, say, July or August dig up the biscuit tin, take out the tubers and plant them then. This is how he got his Christmas spuds!
I have planted the Majestic tatties (which are growing well), but couldn't remember why I had bought them? (senility methinks!)

This thread has just reminded me!

Never mind, the way things are going I would have forgot where I had burried the biscuit tin anyway!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Iwas told this tip by a local nursery man if you have some seed spuds left over from spring planting put them in the salad box in your fridge they will stay in the condition they in until planting he tells it works well

Thanks jacob - will try to explain to Madmax that they are not to be chucked out!!! He is fanatical about throwing spuds with sprouts on away!

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Growing potatoes for Christmas day is what started my hobby for growing veg!! I did this last year, bought T&M potatoes and planted them September (I think) We had loads ready for Christmas day, it was really nice, we had carrots I had grown and frozen earlier in the year too.

Great idea!!!
Daisy

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Best wishes
Daisychook x

Noidea, since you're in Edinburgh you can just buy some potatoes from a Scottish grower in the supermarket. Just check the bag for grown in Tayside or whatever. Svottish potatoes are disease free - that's where all the seed potatoe comes from.
I recommend Charlotte. If you plant them in September they should be OK. Worth a try.

Wizer, you're way too early for Christmas, but if you want a trial run with a good roaster try Rooster.

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

cheers all. I'd prefer roasters tbh. Might stagger the planting in tubs July and August maybe.

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Blogging Again at..
http://www.wizer.co.uk

If I keep back a few from my harvest of earlies, do I store them in the fridge until September, or in the shed, or what? I'd prefer to go this route rather than spending out on seed potatoes. That said, I'll take a look at SueA's link, just in case it's less hassle!

Best Roaster....probably maris piper or king edwards ...wiljas not bad. As others have pointed out they are main crops, get them in soon and you should be ok, blight is the enemy later in the year so it is good to use some bordeaux mixture. then store in a cool shed in paper bag they'll be great for xmas roasties. 1/2 rape seed oil and 1/2 goose fat (don't use too much.) best to par-boil 5 mins rough up outsides with a fork and pop into the preheated tray.

Usually the xmas novalty is to plant a bucket of international kidney or charlottes etc. in greenhouse for new potatoes with pots of fresh parsley and mint grown alongside.

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Advertising is the rattling of a stick in a swill bucket. George Orwell
Paul

Wizer - what are you trying to get?

Potatoes you can actually dig up on Christmas Day, or just home-grown potatoes?

Thing is, roasting potatoes need drying and "curing" a bit (when they are dug up, they are left for a while on the surface to dry then are kept cool and dark) - they are not used "straight out of the pot" for baking and roasting. They are the type that store well. The ones we would buy at Christmas are from the normal early autumn harvest of maincrop potatoes. If you try and extend the season, the growth just tails off because of the light (and blight often happens) - I'm not sure you're going to get maincrops in December if you plant in July.

You can roast small "new potatoes" - that would be your best bet if you want to dig them on the day for roasting.

Paul's right - when people talk about growing "Christmas potatoes" it's new ones that we tip out of the pot on the day.

Last year I tried to grow some potatoes for Christmas in buckets - Charlotte. The potatoes were doing great but I went away to Spain for a few weeks before the buckets were fully earthed up and they drowned.
But, I did have my own potatoes from the freezer as I saved some earlier.
Prepare and par boil the potatoes about 5 minutes.
Tip into a bowl of melted butter until well coated.
Spread the buttered potatoes out on a tray and put in freezer until frozen
Tip into a freezer bag and label for Christmas.
To use - defrost and roast.
They looked good and tasted well. A good insurance policy.

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

The Danish caramalize small new potatoes at xmas. boil, then reheat whole in a pan with loads of butter and a spoon or three of caster sugar. Mmmmm

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Advertising is the rattling of a stick in a swill bucket. George Orwell
Paul

that sounds really nice, will have to try! maybe off topic, but i normally only grow veg during this time of year, any ideas for winter veg any1?

Definately needs another thread but for me...brussels, leeks, parsnips and maincrop carrots(dig em up and store in boxes of sand) for winter and then purple sprouting Durham Early cabbage and asparagus for the spring.

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Advertising is the rattling of a stick in a swill bucket. George Orwell
Paul