Just a quick update, because of the rubbish weather we have had this year so far I have hardly any c...
Just a quick update, because of the rubbish weather we have had this year so far I have hardly any crops to write reviews about. I have therefore decided to write a lot of rants this year!!!
You bung a potato in the ground and then a few months later with just a bit of watering you have lots of potatoes. How great is that!
No matter what you've heard about growing potatoes I promise it is really easy once you've got the basics right.
The Basics Soil: Potatoes will grow in most soil conditions but you are likely to get smaller potatoes the more clay your soil is. (On the plus side potato plants will help break your soil up and it will feel a lot smoother and finer once you've had a crop of potatoes) All in all potatoes are very tough plants and as long as you provide them with water they will produce.
Location: I like to put potatoes in an area where there they get some sun put also get shade for part of the day as well. This helps to stop them scorching when it's really hot during the summer months. I also like to cover the potatoes with a thick layer of straw once they have started to sprout. This will also help keep the roots moist during
dry spells.
Planting Potatoes: There are a couple of different ways you can grow potatoes, from my experience they can both produce good results. The first way is the traditional way, you dig a trench around 5-6inchs deep place you chitted/unchitted (I'll explain chitting further down) potatoes into the trench leave about a foot and a half between each one. Don't be tempted to put them too close together, I know they look very lonely with that much space between them but all of that space will be full of potatoes when you come to dig them up in a couple of months. Once the Potato plant leaves start coming through the soil, start piling the soil up against the plant. Your potato row should look like pointy ridge with leaves sticking out of the top. Don't pile the soil up over the top of the plant, just pile the soil up more and more as the plant grows. If you're thinking I'm mad at this point I'm not, the idea of piling the soil up is that the potato will produce a larger crop and you want to get your moneys worth don't you?
The second way of planting potatoes is less labour intensive and involves using vast quantities of straw, which I buy by the bail from my local allotment shop for £1.20 each. Bung the potatoes in a shallow hole cover them over, now pile the straw up over the location of the potato. Pile it up so you have a mound that is about a foot high, then guess what? That's it.
I'm sure you can see now why I don't use the old fashioned method!
People will argue the toss about which way is better but I've seen from experience through my fellow allotment holders that both methods can produce pretty much the same results, the main reason I have seen crops fail in the past is lack of water.
Oh the best bit about the straw method is that when you rummage through the straw and find your freshly grown potatoes, they're clean!
Another thing to remember about growing potatoes is not to keep putting them in the same location year after year, they will get diseased. I change location every year just in case. It can be so disappointing when you dig up your potatoes and they're inedible.
Right onto the serious stuff now, Chitting!
To Chit or not to Chit. Firstly chitting is having your seed potatoes grow green shoots before you put them into the ground, I do this by propping the seed potatoes up in an old egg box until the shoots appear. This usually takes a couple of weeks.
I have planted potatoes in the past that are both chitted and unchitted, I have found it only makes a difference for the early potatoes, I think it gives them a head start in cold conditions (not frost they will die).
I'm sure lots of people will disagree as people argue about this on my allotment all the time.
I have found an excellent variety to use this year, 'Kestrel' it has produced very well and has avoided any slug attacks. (I have a slug farm on my allotment!!!) It is a white potatoes with little purple splodges around you eyes. I would also recommend 'Accent'. Most of the allotment holders I have spoken to use these varieties.
It tastes brilliant, it's pretty multi purpose although I think it is better for chips and roast potatoes than mash. It still makes an acceptable mash though.
Finally I know that it can be confusing looking at potato terminology e.g. Earlys, lates, etc. So here's a brief explanation.
First Earlys In ground March Ready to dig June-July Second Earlys In ground April-May Ready to dig End July-August Main Crop In ground June Ready to dig September Lates In ground June-July Ready to dig End Sept-Oct
That's just a rough guide, to be honest I use the same variety of potato and just plant a new row each month from March to July. This seems to work for me.
Another final thought, sorry I can't half go on once I get started! If you put some seed potatoes in a pot now (obviously with some soil), put in on some bricks and wrap the pot with bubble wrap to protect it from any frost. You will have lovely home grown spuds for Christmas day.
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Your reviews make me want an allotment! Another excellent, detailed & useful review x
Chouchinciao 29.09.2006 15:59
I've learnt a new word - "to chit"! My father-in-law used to plant seed potatoes in September for eating at Christmas. Great review, but I'm sure it's not as easy as you make out!
cladach29 29.09.2006 13:46
good review; very detailed! the best spuds i ever grew were on an allotment in York (a city which floods annually) so i can attest to their need for water and a coolish climate- Rob
Advantages: The taste of home grown spuds is worth all of the effort Disadvantages: A bit more effor required than collecting them from the supermarket
yorkie2 09.06.2001 ·
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