Talkback: Growing early potatoes - Page 2 - Talkback

19/03/2009 at 19:25

the potatoes i planted last year did not do so well. maybe because they were shop bought potatoes. so now I have bought some from the gardening section in a shop which i have already planted in a bucket. they are Charlote and Nicola. Wish me luck.

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20/03/2009 at 18:11

The only space in my garden for potatoes is in the shade. With that and very thin soil (sandy) chances do not look good but I have planted up a couple of large pots which I shall move around in the hope of getting some crop?.

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23/03/2009 at 10:24

Definitely best to keep pots in pots in a spot that is sunnier rather than in too much shade, you'll get a better crop. As for which to grow - if space is limited I say stick with earlies but although Charlotte is my No.1, I have to say it is all down to what you like to eat, there are waxy, floury, large, small.....but if you know the sort of texture you like info. on characteristics in catalogues is generally good, try as many types as you can, but they'll all taste better than most of what you buy!!

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24/03/2009 at 17:55

Will be trying to grow potatoes for the first time this year. Ordered the Vivaldi offer (GWM Subscriber)and will get bags to plant them in so I'll have to see how it goes. Not sure where to situate the bags though. Patio only gets sun in the afternoon... any advice?

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29/03/2009 at 11:19

im 13 and i love gardening, im going to grow early potatoes this year, can you give me some tips on growing them?

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07/04/2009 at 21:20

I'm taking on a project to grow my own vegetables on an urban city balcony in London - please, please, please follow my progress by viewing / following: http://londonvegetablegarden.blogspot.com/

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26/04/2009 at 19:58

I dont know where i am upto with my new allotment, mind boggling is an understatement! a few weeks ago it was a sorry sight, overgrown with brambles and mares tail weed roots everywhere as well as grass and a million dandelions, but after digging out, chopping and burning the brambles, removing the grass and dandelions, digging rotivating and then digging raking and digging and raking again and agin, i was given some advice to plant stuff asap and then the weeds wldnt seem so bad when my vegetables were growing aswell, i urgently felt the need to plant asap. I roughly divided my plot and have now planted my 12 cabbage, 12 caulis, 12 broccoli plants, a bed of rhubarb and a bed of spuds (nadines). I still have half my plot to plant on and i wld like to know please if i planted it all with potatoes, is it too late to do so? Will it help keep the weeds down? Will it improve my soil etc etc? Also, how on earth do the other plot holders make those lovely pyramid type rows in which the spuds are popping out of? I cant fathom how they do that! Any advice and help wld be geatly appreciated by me and my family.

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02/05/2009 at 12:19

This is my first year trying to grow veg on my tiny balcony. I am having so much fun with it and cant wait to try my first crops. I have to admit i am rather proud of my potatoes that are growing in a tub. I began by getting them started in a polythene green house which kept blowing over. So I dissmantled it, got rid of the ploythene and set the shelving up in the kitchen. I tend to get my plants started in doors and then tranfer them outside. This seems to give my veg a good headstart and I am looking for ward to tasting my first veg in a couple of weeks.

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08/05/2009 at 09:10

I grew potatoes last year for the first time - I didn't know when earthing up stopped until a friend pointed out that 3 feet was probably enough. They took over most of my 4 x 1m veg bed! This year I am growing them in bags! However, a few tiny potatoes which seem to have stayed in the ground are sprouting - will these be OK or should I dig them out?

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27/05/2009 at 08:47

This is my first year planting any veg and now i am wondering if i have done it wrong reading the comments here! I have planted pots in some of these reusable veg bags i got from the garden centre, used the biggest ones for pots, planted 3 per bag, half filled with compost and waited for the shoots to appear, they seem to be thriving so have put more compost in the tub, i have no idea what type of pots we planted or when we are supposed to harvest them, i thought it was all straight forward until i read here, please someone tell me it will all be ok!

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01/06/2009 at 18:33

i've been watching my grandad win prizes for his vegetables since i was 3 but never really got in to the idea of gardening until 8 weeks ago when i stopped smoking i've been growing everything i can get my hands on i have trolled the internet read books and never miss gardeners world 3 or 4 weeks ago i read about chitting potatos and growing in a dust bin i searched the veggie draw and found some potatoes that had a few sprouts already on them i placed on the window sill for a week then transfered them into the bin about 5 in all after a week or so they started to peak through the compost every time they peak through i would add another 6 inches of compost to cover over i've already reached the top of the bin there rocketing fingers crossed

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13/06/2009 at 14:41

I have been away and my potatoes has grown about 18" whilst away. Is it still worth mounding earth aroun them or am I too late.

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15/08/2009 at 15:53

This is my second year of growing potatoes. I have planted the same varieties again this year in different raised beds. The new potatoes had a type of raised scab and some were quite misshaped. I disposed of them as I did not know what was wrong with them and the look on my husbands and eldest sons faces suggested that they would not be eaten if I cooked them! I have just dug the desirees which are smaller than last year but are nicely shaped and have a little scab. From a small amount of research on this site I see this could be scab from the ground drying out when the tubers were forming. I assume it is ok to peel, cook and eat? We have a young babe I was hoping to cook some for but wanted to be sure before I do. I was also concerned about the very misshaped first earlies when I read about the wart virus. Am I right to think it is highly unlikely they were suffering from this? With a new babe in the house (born mid March) watering was terribly sporadic!! It also sounds from an earlier post that I should get hold of a copy of the Gardeners problem solver? With thanks

Gardeners' World Web User

09/06/2010 at 05:35

This is a great article. I could apply this on my tomato garden. I also stumbled on this site on growing tomato. Check this out! http://www.growtomatoesguide.com

Gardeners' World Web User

28/06/2010 at 10:58

My first earlies have grown really well but no flowers. When do I know they are ready to pick???

Gardeners' World Web User

28/11/2011 at 18:38

I'd definitely get your potatoes in asap, but make sure that you mound the soil over the rows slightly as this will gove some protection from the low night temperatures we're getting at the moment. I plant them about 4in (10cm) deep and about 30-45cm apart with the end of the seed potato that bears the most sprouts uppermost.

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