Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: flitwickone on March 13, 2010, 21:38

Title: how small are yours
Post by: flitwickone on March 13, 2010, 21:38

some of my main crop seed potatoes are quite small is this usual ? some are the size of large walnuts this includes some of the earlies

Title: Re: how small are yours
Post by: DavidT on March 13, 2010, 21:41

You want seed spuds about the size of duck eggs. Yours sound about right.

Title: Re: how small are yours
Post by: mr Isaccs on March 13, 2010, 21:57

" how small are yours"  :lol: :lol:, good one Flitwick,
As David said "duck eggs " seems about right for my kestrels but my desiree are more like hens eggs.
I suppose it may have something to do with the size of the spud when fully formed.
What variety are you growing?

Title: Re: how small are yours
Post by: flitwickone on March 13, 2010, 22:08

my earlies are (1st)foremost and (2nd)charlotte  main crop are cara and desiree and romano

hope this helps
 and thankyou for the reply

Title: Re: how small are yours
Post by: Salmo on March 14, 2010, 00:33

Seed potatoes are usually graded to be between 35mm and 60mm minimum diameter. i.e. they will pass through a mesh of 60mm but not through a 35mm mesh.

Some seed, especially earlies, looks very small but when measured falls within the grading limits.

Title: Re: how small are yours
Post by: rugbymad40 on March 14, 2010, 10:22

As Salmo rightly says seed potatoes are graded and if you look along the shelves at the garden centre you will see no matter which variety you select they are all about the same size.

If they are too big they rot as the new plant develops and this can spoil the crop.

Good luck

Rugbymad40