[riverside]

Hi just got an  allotment what is the best potatoes to grow to help clean the ground from weeds new to all this and would like some advice

[Yorkie]

Welcome to the site 

I'll move this over to the GYO board; feel free to pop back into the Welcome forum to introduce yourself for a proper 'hello'. 

What sort of potatoes do you like to eat?

[R6robbo]

1. Hello and welcome! Your in for your fair share of ups n downs but i,m sure you,ll grow to love it as i and most others on here do.

2. It may help if you put your location in your profile to the left.

3. You can,t grow potatoes for approx another  5 months.

4. You would be much better off preparing your plot over winter so your ready for the spring.
    ie. plan where your going to put your beds for planting, where your shed/greenhouse/compost heaps/bins/etc are going to go and finally, get digging and weeding and adding manure/nutrients to your soil.

5. Best of luck with it, its hard work sometimes but i,m sure you,ll enjoy it.

[GYO Girl]

... and take lots of "before" photos! 

[mumofstig]

Hello 
it's the work involved in planting, earthing up and harvesting the potatoes that clears the ground.
You can make a start over winter by digging out all the deep rooted weeds, so you can plant in Spring.

There is no 'best potato' for the job, they'll all require you to do the same amount of work Just grow varieties that you like to eat - or choose a pack with a few different ones in, to try the first year

Good Luck!

[Benandbill]

Exciting time for you.  Don't try and be an expert, just use t'internet and read instructions on seed packets, the old timers down our allotment site tell you you never stop learning, some of them are good gardeners, some not so good and others only really care about their chickens.

We've been doing it 3 years now and even though the last 2 summers have been rubbish growing seasons compared to our 1st, we still love going down there just as much because the people there are so friendly, it's such a good laugh that you just forget all the woes of normal day to day living.

If I were you, I'd use the next 3 or 4 months or so just to get it tidy, maybe dig over a few beds ready for next year.  Maybe not so much this time of year, but when spring comes all the pound shops by you will stock lots of vegetable seed packets, just have a look at what you fancy and read the back of them.  With all the packets I've bought I've copied the dates for sowing, planting out and harvesting onto my own planner on my computer. 

Enjoy 

[JayG]

Don't expect growing potatoes to do the job of weed clearance for you - they only really "work" in the sense that the initial digging to plant them, the subsequent earthing up, and the canopy of leaves when they start to grow all tend to discourage weed germination and growth.

Best to start with a first or possibly second early variety to give you the best chance of avoiding blight and therefore disappointment in your first year.

[fatbelly]

I grow Desiree each & every year and always get a great crop. The slugs don't bother them as much as other Variates and they make a great all round spud.

They are an early maincrop