Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Donnay on April 16, 2014, 19:26
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Hello, can you plant main crop potatoes with a bulb planter, or is it best digging a trench? Any advice welcome.
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Yes, you can ;)
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I've got an old potato spreader given to me by old plot neighbour. It is similar to a bulb planter except you plunge it in the soil the open the handles & the base part opens(spreads) & you drop the potato in.
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That tool sounds great, shame they don't make them any more!
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I'll try & get some pictures. I was very touched when he gave it me when he gave up his plot. He'd lent it me the year before & it made it so much easier. Considering when I got my plot next to me he would hardly speak to me :). I worked my charm on him :lol:
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Ah, but they do
http://www.grovesnurseries.co.uk/products/potato-planter-tool-11229.aspx
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That might have to go on the festive present list!
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Yes that's it. Well done mum. Mine is an antique though, he said it had been his dad's & he was 86 or so. I use it on better prepared soil than that though, hubby rotorvated it on Sunday for me so it's lovely & loose.
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I plant my spuds with a trowel, like bulbs. But then I only have 100 to plant, so it isn't too band. Much easier than digging trenches.
(an Apprentice member of DD's no-faff-gardening-club)
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Just treated myself, many thanks!!!
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I made my own planter, I bought a five foot length of 2x2 planed timber, drilled through 8 inches up from the bottom and put through a nice thick peice of threded steel bar and put a washer and nut either side. I Could not be with out it now just work your way down the bed on a plank you can do 100 spuds in no time :) Or if you have the help of young daughter in which case things take a little longer :lol:
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I plant my spuds with a trowel, like bulbs. But then I only have 100 to plant, so it isn't too band. Much easier than digging trenches.
(an Apprentice member of DD's no-faff-gardening-club)
Mine are currently done with a long handled trowel so there's less bending! (But the bulb planter is looking a good option).
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Hmmm if only I had known these ideas before crippling myself this year when planting in bulk. Does this plant them deep enough though? I dug trenches almost a spade deep and have already earthed up twice as they are peeping through - would bulb planters really be able to go deep enough?
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Funnily enough my daughter thought we were half way to australia :lol: I always think there deep enough when i'm trying to find them at harvest :lol: :lol:
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I use a long handled bulb planter saves bending and my back :D
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I've never thought of that. I have a bad back and digging trenches is done in stages. If it works for others then it should work for me so thanks!
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I plant my spuds with a trowel, like bulbs. But then I only have 100 to plant, so it isn't too band. Much easier than digging trenches.
(an Apprentice member of DD's no-faff-gardening-club)
Mine are currently done with a long handled trowel so there's less bending! (But the bulb planter is looking a good option).
I've got a long handled bulb planter as well. Don't tend to use it now I have the potato spreader, as I like to remember plot neighbour & muse at how many potatoes it might have'planted'.
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Hmmm if only I had known these ideas before crippling myself this year when planting in bulk. Does this plant them deep enough though? I dug trenches almost a spade deep and have already earthed up twice as they are peeping through - would bulb planters really be able to go deep enough?
I will rake a bit of a furrow & then use the potato spreader so they go in a bit deeper.
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I will look into this when I plant in the 'better' more worked soil next year. At the moment the soil for the spuds is still a bit too heavy and stony :)
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Long handled bulb-planter looks a great idea. My back was aching post-spuds and I only have 40.
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I don't grow a massive amount of spuds - I'm still a trench digger! :D
The rest grow in bags of compost and stuff :)
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I use a trench hoe: one hole, one spud, soil back on top.
Many seem to plant potatoes too deep.