[green fingers]

I have read the excellent articles on the home page about potatoes and have some first earlies and second earlies in (oh dear 'im indoors put them all in together) so he has already thrown a spanner in the works for my sowing plan!.  With all the recent cold weather - nothing showing.

  Have some main crop pots  and am not sure if it is too early to put them in now.  Any advice.   :!:

[woodburner]

I'm no expert, this is my first year growing potatoes, but there was a good thread a few days ago. Basically, earlies mature faster than maincrop, so even if you stick them all in at the same time you will still get successional cropping.

[Bear]

exactly right, from memory

First earlies - 10 weeks
Second - 12 weeks
Main crop - 15 weeks

so they should be successional even planted together. As long as they are not interplanted but planted in rows or firsts, seconds or MC you will know which are ready when.

[green fingers]

Thanks all - will get them in now (or will supervise 'im in orders - if he does the planting!)

[DD.]

Think you'll find main crop take quite a bit longer than that.

John's Book...

Earlies: 10 Weeks
Second Earlies: 13 Weeks
Maincrop: 20 Weeks

Dr. H.

Earlies: 13 Weeks
Maincrop: 22 Weeks

Obviously the variety will make a difference, but the two sources quoted are not far apart & agree that maincrop take much longer.

[gobs]

That difference will be for early and late main crop, surely.

[Bear]

I was working from memory so I expect 20 weeks is more accurate

[digby]

Earlies went in at the end of Feb, main crop going in when it stops raining long enough on a Monday (allotment day) for me to get them in then hopefully that'll be potatoes from July - Christmas.

[Ropster]

Hi , What if you have forgotten when you planted your spud's
is there a way of working out when they are ready by looking at them ?

[nobby]

yes dig up one plant and see wot you got

[DD.]

It is generally recognised that with earlies, you wait until the flowers open, then scrape away a little soil to see what lies beneath! If you think they are big enough, then up they come. No use wasting roots if there's nothing to speak of there.

With maincrop wait until the foliage has started to die down. Dig up on a dry day & leave for a while for the soil to dry off. Also helps the skin harden so the spud will store better.

[wighty]

Well done DD, just been off to check on which way round it was with the flowers but you beat me to it.

[shaun]

finished putting mine in yesterday and here they are from the right hand side
2 rows of desiree ,1 row of isle of dura,2 rows of king ed and a row of pink firs
the earlies are just out of the pic on the far right they are ulster chieftain
.sorry about the quality of the pic but its off a camera phone.