[mushroom]

hi,

I've got my potato area planned out. Got a couple of questions:

1. What is the best way of ensuring a continuous crop? Is it by planting earlies (then harvest) then mids (then harvest) then lates (then harvest) on the same designated ground, which is then rotated the following year?

Or is it earlies (harvest) then new ground -> mids (harvest) etc

2. What sorts are the best, in your opinion, for each? Our site gets a variety of seed potatoes in. I know from here that Pink Fir is a good one, so am placing those on my order.

3. How many seed potatoes into a 20 ft row? The total area dedicated for spuds is about 20 ft x 20 ft

4. When do they go in? Is the going-in time written in stone, or is there some flexibility?

I am in the climatologically driest part of the country. The soil is a clay loam, if it's any help. The soil hasn't been fertilized, but it has been rotovated and there is green manure (mustard) which is flowering now, and will be rotovated in this weekend.

[muntjac]

20ft by 20ft isnt big enough to really get a lot spuds in ..each row is 2ft wide . with a foot inbetween.at a guess id say 5 / 6 rows will fit .spuds go 12 inch apart . you plant them all at the same time . for this litle space i suggest you get the real heavy croppers .and really manure well about now ready for next spring planting.  dont grow spuds on the same ground for 3 yrs in your rotation plan. do not lime spuds at all . folow spuds with brassica's and then lime 2oz square yard .roots the folowing year . you can supplement spuds by growing them in bags and containers  

[DD.]

It's probably the time of night - it's well past my bedtime, but if you are asking, if you can plant earlies, dig them up, plant mids, dig them up, then plant lates in the same bit of ground, the answer in no.

Here my earlies go in in late March, mids in early April, lates mid to late April. There's no way the earlies would be ready before you need to put the lates in.

I leave 2' between rows, earlies go in 12" apart, mids 15" apart & lates 18" apart. That's how I do it, others will no doubt do it differently.

Varieties - cannot recommend for your soil, you'll have to ask locally, what works for me may not work for you.

[mushroom]

20ft by 20ft isnt big enough to really get a lot spuds in ..each row is 2ft wide . with a foot inbetween.at a guess id say 5 / 6 rows will fit .spuds go 12 inch apart . you plant them all at the same time . for this litle space i suggest you get the real heavy croppers .and really manure well about now ready for next spring planting.  dont grow spuds on the same ground for 3 yrs in your rotation plan. do not lime spuds at all . folow spuds with brassica's and then lime 2oz square yard .roots the folowing year . you can supplement spuds by growing them in bags and containers  

cheers for the tips Munty (and Dave). This is me first time ever planting spuds. I could make it 30ftx 20ft. I'll go with heavy croppers as suggested. Which one of this list is the heaviest cropper? These types are the ones available to me:

Epicure                  
Foremost                  
Pentland javelin          
Arran pilot              
Rocket                    
Kestrel                  
Nadine                  
Estima                    
Wilja                    
Kondor                  
Desiree                  
King Edward              
Maris piper              
Picasso                  
Cara                      
Charlotte                
Pink fir apple

[WG.]

Isn't it important that they've got some flavour too?  Anything home-grown will likely beat supermarket for flavour but some varieties are much tastier than others, e.g. Pink Fir Apple which is not a high yielder has got superb flavour for all purposes except mashing.

Try this thread : http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=1739 or search for both words potato* variet*

[DD.]

Isn't it important that they've got some flavour too?  Anything home-grown will likely beat supermarket for flavour but some varieties are much tastier than others, e.g. Pink Fir Apple which is not a high yielder has got superb flavour for all purposes except mashing.

Try this thread : http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=1739 or search for both words potato* variet*

That thread didn't seem to end up going anywhere.  Have a look at this..

Taterbase

[WG.]

Good link DD although different opinions & first-hand experience is what makes a forum so much more useful (even if a thread does wander off-subject from time to time - SURELY NOT!).

Taterbase describes Nicola as "The flesh is waxy with an excellent buttery flavour. Use early for salad or leave to mature for larger general purpose."  I could not disagree more strongly ... I got some locally-grown Nicola and they were possibly the worst potato I have ever tasted outside of the USA.  Waxy flesh? - more like PlayDough IMHO.  

[DD.]

Good link DD although different opinions & first-hand experience is what makes a forum so much more useful (even if a thread does wander off-subject from time to time - SURELY NOT!).

Taterbase describes Nicola as "The flesh is waxy with an excellent buttery flavour. Use early for salad or leave to mature for larger general purpose."  I could not disagree more strongly ... I got some locally-grown Nicola and they were possibly the worst potato I have ever tasted outside of the USA.  Waxy flesh? - more like PlayDough IMHO.  

To parody Frank Carson - 'It's the way I grow'em'.

[crowndale]

If I had 20x20 or 30feet to plant spuds I'd be in heaven!  I have around that much space to grow everything!  The main rpoblem with a small space if you want variety is that you get loads of spuds as seed for each variety so I still order the varieties and then share with friends.  I don't get enough spuds to feed a typical british family over winter but enough for us as our main staple is rice/noodles.  This year I squeezed in 4 rows (10 foot long) of earlies and maincrop into around 10 foot wide.

[muntjac]

try doing the tubs n bags also for added variety  n u to shurrup confussing the isue or im setiing shaun on ya wiv his leg razor

 i apen to know that thompson morgan are doing a begginers pack for £14 id try that as it contains 6 types and 10 of each spud

[mushroom]

Isn't it important that they've got some flavour too?  Anything home-grown will likely beat supermarket for flavour but some varieties are much tastier than others, e.g. Pink Fir Apple which is not a high yielder has got superb flavour for all purposes except mashing.

I'm mainly after flavour, and salad potatoes. Pink fir I've got down on the list. Want another 2 types, a salad one and a maincrop big one. My soil seems to be q rich.

[DD.]

I'm mainly after flavour, and salad potatoes. Pink fir I've got down on the list. Want another 2 types, a salad one and a maincrop big one. My soil seems to be q rich.

Charlotte is a nice salad spud. Picasso & Isle of Jura have recently been recommended on this site as a large spud.  If I can get hold of them, I'll be trying them next year.

[WG.]

There is no better salad potato than Pink Fir Apple.

Maincrop for flavour : I'd be looking at Kerrs Pink or Maris Piper if you don't like them so floury (I don't consider Maris Piper to be floury - again I'd disagree with Taterbase on that)

[richyrich7]

I leave 2' between rows, earlies go in 12" apart, mids 15" apart & lates 18" apart. That's how I do it, others will no doubt do it differently.

Me Too

[sweet nasturtium]

Great site Digger Dave (taterbase)

And did you notice that the United Nations have declared 2008 the Year of the Potato?