Grow Your Own Magazine

I always grow, and will continue to do so, a few rows of early potatoes, as you can't beat the freshness, choice of varieties and real satisfaction when yuo dig them up.

With maincrop potatoes however I have decided to not bother with them this coming season. The cost of the seed potatoes, blight and the rather variable yields have prompted me to call it a day, along with the realisation that a local organic farm shop sells sacks of spuds (organic) for £5.50 a sack.

As I am building a second tunnel this year the amount of ground available for spuds will diminish and to be honest , I would prefer to grow crops with a better return in yield, value and taste.

Is anybody else opting out?

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

I already did Piglet a couple of years ago. First earlies are so tasty straight from the ground and so expensive to buy that they are worth growing but main crop with slugs and blight just are not worth growing. They take up alot of ground that can be used for other vegetables.

Hello piglet, no, I wouldn't grow main crop potatoes unless you have acres of ground you don't know what to do with. Space is precious and there are far better things to grow.

PS I finally managed to get registered for the Big Jim Comp. Planning an early start !

Piglet, why not try to grow some second crop potatoes in time for next Christmas.....only 364 days to go!!

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Geordie

Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure

I posted a thread the other day about potato scab, and to be honest I'm really tempted to just not bother with growing spuds because as you correctly point out, its possible to buy large bags of organic spuds quite cheaply. Along with the problems of blight etc, the work involved in earthing up etc, just doesn't justify the end product.

We only grow salad and earlies. Then use the ground for leeks.
Each year we say we will grow less as we always seem to end up with about 120 seed potatoes.( we're bound to have the space as we have a lottie!!!).
Must admit , I do like pasta, rice, cous cous etc as alternative sources of carbs, but nothing beats the early spuds!!

Hmmm! You've got me thinking. We adore earlies and salads. The reason we grow mains is to be able to choose the varities we want. Big sacks of organic spuds around here are £15-£20. We have been fortunate. We dug the desirees early this year but suffered some losses of the Valor (which I wouldn't grow again because there are better, nicer spuds out there) to wireworm in our first year. However as with everything it is under constant review similar to all our veg varieties.

I think that's me sitting on the fence then.

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

Never grown them as simply don't have enough space - would probably grow them in an ideal world but then that's the same one where I would have enough space to have a few chooks, pigs etc so not much chance of that unless I win the lottery!

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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?

Lesley Jay, well!!!

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Peter!!! Your mind is as bad as mine!!!

Piglet, I am having doubts about my ability to produce a "clean" load of maincop spuds. The bugs and moulds seem to get to far too many of the spuds and it is always the larger spuds that get the worst problems. My Dunbar Standard this year have had about 60% discard rate due to attack or size, in a good year it is a magnificent potato with good bakers.

On the positive side Nicola is an excellent all round 2nd early, which if left is described as a salad baker. However this year the weather pattern did not match the growth pattern, unless I had an irrigation system on the plot I do not think I could have improved this variety this year.

So 2007 I will plant less, probably heavy on the second earlies, water more and look for preventative measures.

Can anyone suggest any proven blight or bug prevention methods?
I already use well rotted manure as a liner to my trench and add some slug pellets.

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Always thank people who have helped you immediately, as they may not be around to thank later.
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Yes pw, I slimmed down to 30 early/salad spuds last year (two beds) - that's plenty for us. I buy maincrop (storing) spuds in a paper sack from the roadside in Salter's Lode, £2.50 for half a cwt of desirees properly grown and cured, lasts all winter and delicious flavour

Hello Piglet, I think I've said this before but I wouldn't grow potatoes in the ground for reasons you all know about , and wouldn't do maincrops. I grew mine in buckets and got 4lbs to the bucket for Charlottes and a whopping 6lbs to the bucket for Rooster (great roasters). One lot had such a crop it burst the bucket , so I suppose I have to add that on to the cost. I buy from the supermarket, looking for Scottish grown (disease free) and this works well for me. And you can lift your buckets and put them anywhere.

Just an aside, I have some supermarket Charlotte which are sprouting now. I'm going to plant them and give them their best chance. I'll keep a record and post the results. Wish me luck!!!!

I don't have a lot of room for tatties,but grew pink fir apples last season with no loses to anything.Fiddly little buggers to peel my other half informs me,but other wise excellent.I started cropping at one end of the row soon after flowering and didn't lift the last ones till well into autumn.

I grew second earlies in 25 litre plastic oil barrels this year which worked well and grew Lady Crystl 1st earlies which were very good. The return on the main crop was pathetic and I would sooner grow something with better value.

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

Hello Burnie, who peels Pink Fir Apples. I just rinse them and cook in the skins. That's where the best of the flavour - and nutrition - is. Do give it a try.

I agree Alice, and I am going to try a few as chips as well!! Just quarter them lengthwise and pop them in the deep fat fryer, skins an all I've been told!

Although I will cut down on the amount of main crops grown, I will still grow PFA!! This year I am going to support them though as the tops grew 5'0" high and toppled over!

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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)

PFA seem a prime example of ugly veg tasting nicer than the uniform ones - ugly little things but when scrubbed up as really tasty, that reminds me, have some left that weren't needed for Christmas Day so will be having them tonight before we go out.

__________________

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?

As I can't get bags of organic potatoes, I will be planting some maincrops this year. I did last year for the first time and was well impressed with the crop and they are storing well, so should be breaking into them in the New Year. I didn;t have much of a problem with disease last year - perhaps beginners luck!

Trouble is Piglet, I can't buy the ones I like In one of my many books it did say that if you are short of space don't bother with maincrop tatties just grow earlies - problem with that is we don't eat enough new potatoes to make it worth while to grow more than a row or two.

I think they are worth growing if you are just taking over a plot as they are good for clearing the ground.

If I were in your position though, I think I would do the same. I'm giving up with runnerbeans this year as the last two years they have been crap for me. I think the high temperatures were the problem so I'm going to try some of LJ's climbing French jobbies instead.

You'll have to take some more photo's of the progress of the tunnel piglet as I'm thinking of building one myself.

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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/

First year so I am giving main crops ago (cara and PFA). I've ordered 4 other types all first and second earlies. Trial and error, see what works. I'm also only growing french and broad beans as although they look pretty I don't like runner beans.

I've ordered my seed spuds but am also trying to get to a potato day so might add to the list.

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Bex

Nick I am building another (or starting too) next week so will take pictures for you. If you are ever in the area drop me a line and you can come see how easy it is and to be honest how good they look.

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs