Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: The Golden Heap on June 29, 2013, 14:16

Title: Lady Christl
Post by: The Golden Heap on June 29, 2013, 14:16
The lady has revealed herself with the first amazing harvest of egg size plus potatoes! Can't wait to eat them
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: DD. on June 29, 2013, 14:27
I'm hoping to have a dibble at mine later today.
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: azubah on June 29, 2013, 15:55
I found a few on Thursday. Enough for a lovely meal. I left the plant in, and just took some from under one side.
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: Sprouts on June 29, 2013, 17:35
Dug my Lady Christl on Thursday was surprised how big they were. Well pleased   :)
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: DD. on June 29, 2013, 20:09
My results here:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=69457.msg1203086#msg1203086
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: solway cropper on June 29, 2013, 23:06
Dug my Lady Christl on Thursday was surprised how big they were. Well pleased   :)

If you leave em they make a good-sized spud and taste just as good. Unfortunately I've lost about half my crop this year to blackleg. For certified seed I think this is completely unacceptable but very difficult to prove where it came from. I don't suppose the fact that my other four varieties are completely unaffected would cut much ice with the supplier.
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: mumofstig on June 29, 2013, 23:15
Some varieties are more prone to it than others and it cannot be detected in seed potatoes.

It could also be in your plot soil  :blink:
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=223
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: arugula on June 30, 2013, 10:35
Mine aren't ready yet, but I'm looking forward to eating them at different sizes as in previous years. They make equally good oven chips to the classic new potato cooking method. :D
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: The Golden Heap on June 30, 2013, 17:42
Mine aren't ready yet, but I'm looking forward to eating them at different sizes as in previous years. They make equally good oven chips to the classic new potato cooking method. :D

Do you blanch them first or straight in the oven? Chip size?
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: pompeyboy61 on June 30, 2013, 21:51
Delighted with the results so far , good size tubers  and all a good colour and texture. Wonderful cooked with mint and tossed in butter.
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: solway cropper on June 30, 2013, 23:04
Some varieties are more prone to it than others and it cannot be detected in seed potatoes.

It could also be in your plot soil  :blink:
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=223

All my spuds are container grown in the same compost mix so not in the plot soil. I know Lady C are more prone than some varieties but I still think for half the crop to be affected it has to be infected tubers. While it may not be detectable in the seed it is pretty obvious in the parent plants.
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: arugula on July 01, 2013, 07:07
They make equally good oven chips to the classic new potato cooking method. :D

Do you blanch them first or straight in the oven? Chip size?

I don't blanch them first. Just peel and chip then put in a bowl of water until you're ready to cook. Empty water from bowl, rinse and dry chips and bowl then put them back in the bowl and toss with some olive oil and salt, then cook. :)
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: Willow_Warren on July 01, 2013, 09:31
I've had 3 meals so far!

One boiled (yummy), one kind of roasted whole (yummy) and finally par boiled, skewered and BBQ'd (yummy).  I will certainly be growing these again next year! Quite a few more plants to dig up - I have warned the OH that we're on potato eating month  :lol:

Hannah :)
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: DD. on July 01, 2013, 11:46
Had some of ours yesterday with roast beef.

They were steamed with mint overlaid.

Mrs Digger finished her dinner well before I did, so that's a good enough assessment for me!
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: Lincolnshire Floyd on July 01, 2013, 13:33
My results here:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=69457.msg1203086#msg1203086

The conclusion is that generally speaking large parents have large children and vice versa. Bit Darwinian really.
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: DD. on July 01, 2013, 13:38
Ah, but the smaller seed spuds had the biggest offspring, but lower overall yield.
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: arugula on July 01, 2013, 13:38
The conclusion is that generally speaking large parents have large children and vice versa. Bit Darwinian really.

That is not the case with all vegetables, so it's worth DD pointing the fact out:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=80632.msg903006#msg903006
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: arugula on July 01, 2013, 13:39
Snap-ish! :D
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: Lincolnshire Floyd on July 01, 2013, 17:57
Ah, but the smaller seed spuds had the biggest offspring, but lower overall yield.

Right ho.
I'll have to email Marshalls and tell them they are in breach of some Darwinian code with their claims for elephant garlic this year.
Over the years I've found that large seed potatoes produce the largest crops and avoid small seed when I buy it. Never really got into measuring spud size though. My aim is for quantity, the quality is a given.

http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/garlic-elephant-jumbo-cloves-pid2430.html?gclid=CLm2jZ_hjrgCFbQetAodZRIA_A
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: Mr Dog on July 03, 2013, 22:06
....Unfortunately I've lost about half my crop this year to blackleg. For certified seed I think this is completely unacceptable but very difficult to prove where it came from. I don't suppose the fact that my other four varieties are completely unaffected would cut much ice with the supplier.

Me too - 20 tubers planted; 2 didn't grow at all, 8 gone down with blackleg and of the remaining 10, 6 are yellowish, weedy looking specimens less than 6" tall after 12 weeks. My PJs and Belle de Fontenay grown alongside are all looking fine!
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: Yorkie on July 03, 2013, 23:27
Unfortunately I've lost about half my crop this year to blackleg. For certified seed I think this is completely unacceptable but very difficult to prove where it came from. I don't suppose the fact that my other four varieties are completely unaffected would cut much ice with the supplier.

Certified tubers relate to the virus-free status.

Blackleg is a fungal disease.
Title: Re: Lady Christl
Post by: DD. on July 03, 2013, 23:35
Exactly Yorkie.

We have a retired Professor from a nearby school of agriculture on our site. He'll tell you it's one of those things that you can't blame the growers of seed, nor the in between retailers for. It's undetectable.

The RHS back this up, if anyone cares to look.

It's not acceptable to blame the supplier.