[greenhead]

The three main types - earlies,  second early and main crop.  Once chitted are they all planted at the same time (Mid March) or is the planting time for each staggered by say a Month or so.

[Iain@JBA]

The best advice I can give about planting potatoes is that once all threat of frost has passed and the soil is warm then that is the time to plant your spuds. Potatoes will not grow in cold soil. It totally depends on what part of the country you are in.

[DD.]

As regards staggering them, this has been asked several times recently and as lates need a longer growing period, what a lot do is start planting earlies and don't stop until they're all in.

Some even advocate planting late crop first.

[Aidy]

I love this saying, and you will hear me say it over and over again. 'out with paddy and in with billy' thats when mine go in. 

[DavidT]

The old adage is. " Plant late potatoes early and early potatoes late ". Because lates have a longer growing season, they can safely go in after the last frost, but before the soil warms up properly. With earlies, they need to be kept growing quite fast, so need to go in once the ground has warmed up.

[JohnB47]

I love this saying, and you will hear me say it over and over again. 'out with paddy and in with billy' thats when mine go in. 

OK, it's probably me being thick as usual but I have no idea what you are talking about. Give us a clue?

[peterjf]

in deepest darkest hull , we usually plant out our seed potatoes easter time

[DD.]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

I don't go with the Easter dates, they vary by over a month. Some years you'd be planting late April.

Regading Aidy's expression, "Out with Paddy" is a reference to St. Patricks Day, which at least is a fixed date!

I'm thinking about the other one.

[Aidy]

Out with paddy is as DD says out with St.Patrick and in with Billy refers to King Billy, so as DD has mentioned you never plant your spuds before St.Patrick has been and gone. March the 18th onwards.

[Pompey Spud]

It's total rocket science...so i plant mine all in one go. Last week of March.

[mumofstig]

It's total rocket science...so i plant mine all in one go. Last week of March.

You'll be fine, just remember to earth them up, so they are safe from the last few frosts.
I planted mine on 17th March ( st pat's day) last year

[polly tunnel]

So it looks as if it is St Patrick's Day then? although I don't know why I am joining in, my seed potatoes haven't arrived from Thompson and Morgan yet....Perhaps due to lateness T&M will pre chitt them for me?...yeah right, no no I'm not panicking

[Snoop]

The old adage is. " Plant late potatoes early and early potatoes late ". Because lates have a longer growing season, they can safely go in after the last frost, but before the soil warms up properly. With earlies, they need to be kept growing quite fast, so need to go in once the ground has warmed up.

Thanks for this info. I have tough clay soil and even though I am only planning to get three rows or so on the go, it is back-breaking work. Now I can feel justified in not trying to do it all at once. 

[Pompey Spud]

Snoop...use a bulb planter..i do.

Works great.

[Salmo]

The best advice I can give about planting potatoes is that once all threat of frost has passed and the soil is warm then that is the time to plant your spuds. Potatoes will not grow in cold soil. It totally depends on what part of the country you are in.

I think what Ian means is plant so that the leaves emerge after the last frost ,i.e mid-May ish, depending where you are. Planting on St Patrick's day will usually achieve this.

To get really early earlies they need to be chitted and planted earlier than this so they will need fleece or something to protect from frost when they emerge.

Potatoes need a soil temperature of at least 10 degrees C to grow, and that is at a few inches down where the potatoes are planted, not at the surface. This temperature is also a good general guide for most seeds and a soil thermometer is useful.

The old Fenman's way is to drop the trousers and sit on the soil. If it is comportable then the soil is warm.