Nicola potatoes what went wrong

[teakdesk]

Finding it hard to get a benchmark of what return per seed potato you should get

I think trying to answer that question always leads to disappointment!!! There is ALWAYS someone who has done better!!!

I don't really have room on my allotment plot to use on potatoes and my vegetable plot at home is now too shaded from sun and rain to give good crops... so I use SATISFICING rather than MAXIMISING! IE I have a benchmark from previous season's crops that indicate what I am likely to achieve and if I am SATISFIED with that I will happily grow again.

For potatoes I love, repeat love, freshly harvested first and second earlies. Potatoes in general love my belly and park themselves there for months on end so I don't eat loads of them.

But I have around 25 B&Q buckets, with holes, and each March I put 2 seed potatoes in each with a variety of different composts (whatever is available). These then get laid out under the the trees and forgotten about except for an occasional watering in very dry weather. No fertiliser, no real watering plan, not really much sun!

I get a (pitiful) 330g average from each first early seed and 500g average from a second early.

Way less than most other people achieve but I am SATISFIED with that return for the effort I expend.

Might not be many spuds but I can't find an equivalent taste from any supermarket or farmers' market!!!