Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Is this a weed, or me spuds?

Collapse

X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Is this a weed, or me spuds?

    I planted some Pentland Javelin about 6 weeks ago, they went in nice and deep, about 1 foot deep. So far all I have seen is various weeds, however today whilst weeding I spotted this.



    Can anyone tell me if this is a weed, or a shoot from my tatties?

    I have earthed it up for the moment and marked the spot with some canes just incase we get a frost tonight.

    I have been told PJs take about 12 weeks to grow, so am starting to wonder if I have planted them too deep...

    Any tips or advice would be great,

    Ta
    Attached Files
    'The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.'

    Terry Pratchett

  • #2
    First time grower here but when my potatoes poked their shoots through the soil they were all green. Looks like these are white and then green so I'm not sure if all potatoe varieties are the same
    Mine were marris pipers main crop.

    Comment


    • #3
      They don't look like tatties to me but there is no harm in leaving them a couple of weeks to see what happens. If they turn out to be spuds then no harm done, if they are weeds then just lift them.
      sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
      --------------------------------------------------------------------
      Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
      -------------------------------------------------------------------
      Sent from my ZX Spectrum with no predictive text..........
      -----------------------------------------------------------
      KOYS - King Of Yellow Stickers..............

      Comment


      • #4
        Don't look like tatties to me

        Comment


        • #5
          They are buttercups. A foot is very deep. I planted mine three weeks ago, not as deep as you, and they are through. Is is worth a little poke around to see what's going on?

          Comment


          • #6
            That's it Wendy, I knew they looked familiar but I couldn't get the scale & angle right
            Last edited by veggiechicken; 26-04-2015, 05:24 PM.

            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks Wendy, as you can probably tell I'm rather new to this lark
              'The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.'

              Terry Pratchett

              Comment


              • #8
                Even when you are old like me, you'll still be new Taterhead.
                sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
                --------------------------------------------------------------------
                Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
                -------------------------------------------------------------------
                Sent from my ZX Spectrum with no predictive text..........
                -----------------------------------------------------------
                KOYS - King Of Yellow Stickers..............

                Comment


                • #9
                  Give them a bit more time Taterhead.
                  I planted my spuds about a foot deep on 7th March. They started coming through last Monday, now they're nearly all up (Swift), so that's just over 6 weeks.
                  Location - Leicestershire - Chisit-land
                  Endless wonder.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Potatoes NEVER need to be planted deeply, unless you need to protect the sprouted tubers from the frost and cold. Some people actually 'sow' them on the surface and then cover them with an inch or so of compost.

                    The potatoes are actually pieces of swollen stem so all you really need to do is provide the plants with good enough soil into which they can root while covering the stems with compost or some other mulch to keep the light away from the tubers; once tubers go green they are never any good to eat, even if they lose the green colour, as they contain a poisonous substance.

                    In future, I would recommend you plant them just an inch or two below the surface and concentrate your efforts on earthing them up or mulching the stems as they grow.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by BertieFox View Post
                      In future, I would recommend you plant them just an inch or two below the surface and concentrate your efforts on earthing them up or mulching the stems as they grow.
                      One of the reasons I plant mine deeply is to avoid having to earth up. Not something I ever find time to do and find that I don't need to if I plant deeply and then add a bit of a mulch when they first break through. MUCH less work

                      Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

                      Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by BertieFox View Post
                        Potatoes NEVER need to be planted deeply.
                        Never say never Bertie unless like me you've never earthed up a spud.............
                        Last edited by Bigmallly; 26-04-2015, 08:45 PM.
                        sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
                        --------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
                        -------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Sent from my ZX Spectrum with no predictive text..........
                        -----------------------------------------------------------
                        KOYS - King Of Yellow Stickers..............

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I plant mine deeply too and don't earth them up. They're just showing through now and I'll leave them to get on with it. There's too much to do in the garden to keep earthing up each emerging shoot.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Deep planter here as well, two reasons, saves on earthing up and also on a windy site the soil drys very quickly so the ridges act as wind tunnels.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              This thread is a bit confusing, 'plant deeply and don't earth up, or plant almost on surface and earth up a lot? '

                              I planted mine 4/6 inches, ( well grandson did), and they are all showing through now, so will probably earth up a bit in time.
                              DottyR

                              Comment

                              Latest Topics

                              Collapse

                              Recent Blog Posts

                              Collapse
                              Working...
                              X