Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: JRM on August 24, 2017, 08:30
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I live and garden on Romney Marsh, I've just finished lifting my potatoes and had a fantastic crop. I've averaged 6 1/2 lb per root which is far better than I've had in the past, two other allotment holders have had equally good results but the three of us are baffled as to why? We have had very little rain on the Marsh so cannot understand how the crop has been so good. Has anyone else in the South East area had similar results?
JRM
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Hello and welcome to the forum :)
I've had a good yield of nice, clean spuds this year, as well. Perhaps the warmer soil suited them, rather than the wet and cold soil they usually get when first planted :D
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Good to hear that you have cropped well. My main crop was Desiree, over 400 lb from 60 seed potatoes. It has been a good year for most things apart from shallow rooted crops, it's probably due to the extended dry periods. You win some, you lose some!
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Hi JRM.
I am a retired farmer,involved in growing potatoes for a living,and many years ago,when I was young and keen to learn,I was told that potatoes do well in a year when they "have a dry bed and a damp head". It stuck in my mind and I have found it to be true many times.
As yourself and others,we have a very big crop of Kestrel,that we find stores well into Feb or March.I have lfted our first row today and there are no seed size potatoes at all.
Regards John.
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I wonder if the dry soil deters underground slugs and other nasties from either destroying the roots as they grow or eating them later on?
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although we where a tad latter than usual planting both our early and our main crop of potatoes they never the less looked quite healthy good tops moulded up plenty of soil looking good
we always grow as our main Desiree and then a mix of early spuds as a trial we also grow some potatoes in potato pots and we always plant our potatoes in another part of the allotments as part of our crop rotation as you do
however the new potatoes from the potato pots where a nice size for new spuds they broke up when cooked so we tried the new spuds on the allotment and they to broke up when boiled :mad:
then I looked at our late spuds dug a few not a bade size but some worm damage and some had blight so although the tops have not died of yet I wondered if I should dig them we usually have enough spuds to last out the winter we had a bumper crop last year that lasted us till June from the there plot
so I've decided god willing to keep with Desiree next year and grow international kidney as my early unless anyone can convince me to try another spud that mite not break up when cooked