reusing a potato plot

**Bigmallly** · 22-02-2012, 08:29 PM

Use another area of the garden if you can, rule of thumb says not to use the same area for the same crops for 3/4 years to reduce diseases.........look up crop rotation to give you an idea.

**daisygrubber** · 23-02-2012, 12:06 AM

Originally posted by Bigmallly View Post

Use another area of the garden if you can, rule of thumb says not to use the same area for the same crops for 3/4 years to reduce diseases.........look up crop rotation to give you an idea.

Thank you so much I had a feeling that it was something like that.

Happy gardening.

**Two_Sheds** · 23-02-2012, 07:03 AM

I will be planting my spuds in the same patch again this year, because I have alkaline soil that causes bad scab. In a permanent bed I can better control the soil, adding leafmould to make it more acidic.

The main disease of spuds is blight. This is airborne, and can come from miles away, so moving my spuds a few yards isn't going to make the slightest bit of difference to their catching blight or not.

Nutrients are a different matter: different crops use different nutrients, in different quantities. Moving (rotating) your crops gives the soil a chance to recover and not be depleted. You can overcome this by adding nutrient every year in the form of garden compost, fertiliser etc.

**Aberdeenplotter** · 23-02-2012, 07:59 AM

Yes , you can grow spuds on the same area of ground for years and years and years and still get a good crop. As the others have said though it's best not to as you want to avoid the possibility of a build up of disease and depletion of the nutrients that spuds like. That is why most of us practice a scheme of rotation, moving our spuds around, adding fym or other fertilisers to the trenches as we plant. That way, the whole plot is kept in good heart.

If you just have a small piece of ground, it is more difficult to rotate crops so if you want to rest the potato patch grow your spuds in bags or planters for a year or two.

di · 23-02-2012, 09:46 AM

Crop rotation is good, but I do think you can get too hung up on it. If you'd only just got your plot this year, would you even know where the previous holder planted their potatoes?
I do try to swap around, especially if I've had a poor crop or disease the year before, but likewise...I don't stress if I suddenly realise I've just put my beetroot in the same spot as last year.

**daisygrubber** · 23-02-2012, 11:16 AM

my potato patch gave fantastic results last year growing vivaldi. I was planning to add some farm yard manure (well rotted) from a friends farm in the next couple of days. I did try growing some potatoes in rubble sacks last year which had been recommended but the result was not as prolific as in the ground.

I was contemplating digging up some more lawn to accommodate more potatoes, I got hooked on digging them up so would like to experiment with more varieties. I think I will risk it as I want to use my other large empty bed to create a strawberry and spinach patch with some bare root plants I have acquired.

My other beds will be full of beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, cucumbers and parsnips so was really hoping to keep my potato patch where it is, at least for this year.

many thanks

Really do need an allotment

**Aberdeenplotter** · 23-02-2012, 04:52 PM

if you have enough garden for a lawn and a vegetable patch, growing at home is much less scutter than having a plot. If you have10 minutes travelling time to your plot, that same 10 minutes could have been spent using the hoe or doing something else.

**Alison** · 23-02-2012, 05:29 PM

Originally posted by Aberdeenplotter View Post

if you have enough garden for a lawn and a vegetable patch, growing at home is much less scutter than having a plot. If you have10 minutes travelling time to your plot, that same 10 minutes could have been spent using the hoe or doing something else.

Against that though is that I don't have other distractions when I'm at my plot, I know I'm up there for the morning / afternoon / day or whatever and will just garden whereas if I'm at home I'll pop in for a drink and start on something else.

**daisygrubber** · 23-02-2012, 08:59 PM

Originally posted by Aberdeenplotter View Post

if you have enough garden for a lawn and a vegetable patch, growing at home is much less scutter than having a plot. If you have10 minutes travelling time to your plot, that same 10 minutes could have been spent using the hoe or doing something else.

I did think that, it's a little solitary though I like the idea of the social aspect of the allotment and biking down there and pottering around in my shed and of course being new to all this, getting lots of advice and tips from the natives

The lawn I am using though for the veg patch isn't massive so I have to be selective about what I grow. I haven't space for a shed or a greenhouse etc and I would love one, I do however have a good condition lean to conservatory which I wanted to take down but is proving invaluable

Originally posted by Alison View Post

Against that though is that I don't have other distractions when I'm at my plot, I know I'm up there for the morning / afternoon / day or whatever and will just garden whereas if I'm at home I'll pop in for a drink and start on something else.

Sounds like what I would do, today I started in the garden and ended up unpacking some moving boxes I hadn't got round to and I ended up looking through the kids old school stuff lol. When i'm supposed to be starting to sow some tomato seeds it will now be my job for tomorrow before I have to rush off to the vets. Definitely need an allotment no distractions.

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