Container potato yield now & xmas ones?

[smallblueplanet]

Yay!

Just emptied out our council recycling box and have grown a good few kilo of Nicola spuds. So that part seems to have worked okay, although we put 6 spuds in and I think 4 would have been enough.

I'd like to refill 'the box' and grow some for Chrimbo, is it to late and if not what spuds could I use?

[Blueberry]

It's not too late to plant some potatoes for Christmas, you can plant them up to the end of August, but you must be able to give them some protection during the cold weather ie move them into a greenhouse. The varieties which are good for this are Nicola, Charlotte, Carlingford or Maris Peer. You don't even have to chit them either. Good luck!

[smallblueplanet]

Ooh thanks BB, so could I plant some of the Nicola I've just grown? What sort of size should the spuds be?

[pigletwillie]

Yes you could SBP, pick tubers the size of a hens egg. Mine will be going in at the end of July.

[smallblueplanet]

You got big hens eggs or little hens eggs pw?

What variety are you planting?

[pigletwillie]

large

[dexterdoglancashire]

Could I buy some from the supermarket, or do I have to get some from a supplier? Thanx Dexterdog

[Alice]

I grow them from the supermarket Dexterdog. If you're growing in containers I think there is little risk of contaminating your ground. Also I only buy from scottish growers which are disease free. I've been growing Charlotte from Tayside in buckets and got good crops. Now planted some Nicola ( sounds like the dancing girls). I got 4lbs of potatoes out of a B&Q bucket

[CarolineSonning]

I've seen loads of posts about planting into buckets (I've been using a stack of car tyres) could someone explain how you keep the plants covered in a small bucket - I think I'm being thick but my tyre stack was 3 high for my new pots and some of the mains are 4 high .

[Doggler]

You have to earth up when growing potatoes in containers. There are loads of posts on the vine which go into detail but basically you plant your seed potatoes about 3in deep then earth up when the stalks are about 6-8inches out of the soil, and keep going until you get to the top of your container. I think the taller the container the better, so you're spot on with your tyres.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Thompson & Morgan

Hi everyone. Thanks for the advice. I contacted Thompson & Morgan re: info given in GYO August issue. Apparently they no longer supply the "christmas" type of potatoes. Shame But will put your advice into action - straight away! watch out Tesco's I'm on my way! Dexterdog

[janie]

Hi, probably too late but i got a Dobies catalogue through the post and they supply the christmas type potatoes, web address: www.dobies.co.uk
They have five varieties to choose from, Maris Piper, Nicola, Carlingford, Vales Emerald and Bambino. But you have to have your order in by the end of July, then they dispatch between now and early August.
Haven't decided on my ones yet, but I'll be looking for a blight resistant one
Hope that helps

[lyndap]

There was a dobies catalogue tucked inside my copy of this months GYO!was it just mine or did everyone get one?I haven't dicided which to try yet!

[janie]

Maybe that was where it came from, it must have been the Mammoth Onion one I got through the post

[Alice]

My potatoes ,Charlotte ,in buckets cropped really well, with 4lbs out of one bucket ( I thought that was exceptional) and 3ibs out of the others. I emptied my Charlotte out of the dustbin today and got 6lbs. I was a bit disappointed compared with what I got from the buckets. Did they do badly or did I expect too much. Anybody know what they usually get from a dustbin.