[Oliver]

PS have a look at this link!

http://www.organicgardening.org.uk/factsheets/gg9.php

Garden Organic is the website name for the HDRA (Henry Doubleday Research Association), like the RHS (Roybal Horticultural Society) they have some really good advice for chaps (and chapesses) like him and her.

[oscar]

Thanks grannieannie.   Just going out to cover them up.   Thx also 4 reminding me about the RKE variety.   My parents used to grow them - they've moved now + havn't sorted out a veg patch.   PS   Is that ur dog in the picture  :?:

[Beanzie]

Oscar, I doubt that Bute ever suffers from heavy frost. If that is the case I suggest that you simply leave them in the ground and dig as required. This  is assuming that you do not suffer from a large slug population.

I've been doing this for 10 years in the West Of Scotland and it has been very successful.

[Oliver]

If you're having trouble finding them in the supermarket, try the vegetables aisle.

They have grown spuds from supermarket ones that have climbed out of the veg basket, but they don't do it in stead of buying seed. They get their seed from a local nursery usually Desiree, Nadine, Rocket and Pink Fir Apple. They have also had Ratte, but the slugs have too. They have grown supermarket Foremost too - not bad.

they find that some supemarket potatoes sprout very readily - sometimes before the batch has been used. This is very bad and wasteful! so, they get eaten while the sproutings are very small, otherwise, if it is planting time they get planted. Some, unfortunately are consigned to the bin.

We have never been successful storing our spuds (probably no tried hard enough) so we grow as much as we can eat and give away, and leave the Pink Fir in for as long as possible. (The longer they stay in the ground the nicer they are and the bigger they get! They usually last till about February?) But Fortunately we don't eat tons of spuds.

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi James, the only problem with using potatoes from the supermarket is that they could introduce nasties into your plot, so although I don't have much money, I always buy proper seed potatoes.  Got my last 2 lots from our biggest garden centre near here.

[James]

>They could introduce nasties


So could letting the local fox walk across your veggie patch.  I've grown a mixture of supermarket and proper seed potatoes for years and have never had a problem.  I suspect this is a ploy by the seed potato companies to make you pay extra for theirs.  I mean... organic seed potatoes can't have been treated...

Last year's seed potatoes came for free from Borough Market from a bag or two that had sprouted.  There began my love affair with British Queens.

[GrannieAnnie]

Sorry Oscar, just noticed your posting of 14th.  Yes, the picture is of my Penny Dog, she is nearly 5 years old and is a springer x labrador.  Bother her Mum and Dad wre gun dogs who got together during a shoot at Catterick, and Penny and her brother Harry were born.  We rescued her from the granddaughter of some friends who couldn't cope with 2 dogs when she found she was pregnant.  So we got one of the loveliest dogs I've ever known!

[Judymac]

You can grow tatties from these seed pods, they could be cross breeds depending on your patch. Some details can be found here:

LINK

Scroll down the page until you reach potatoe fruit section.

I planted 16 Amandine seed sets this year, dug them up this week and I am very happy with the results 78lbs of spuds! Now stored in hessian sacks in the cellar. Should last me to Feb/March.

Judy