[strangerachael]

I'm hoping to go to this next year (31st January) as it's so close to where I live. Only trouble is I'm going to a party the night before in Tunbridge Wells, so assuming I'm back in time and feeling well enough  can anyone whose been to it before, tell me
a) do I need to get there early to get what I want?
b) how does it compare in price to, eg Thompson and Morgan?
c) presumably you can have the exact number of each variety you want, rather than the prescribed 10, or 20 that you have to have from catalogues/garden centres?
d) do you have to pay to get in?

[Aunt Sally]

A quick google beings this up:

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/events/show_event.php?id=257

[diggerjoe]

Strangerachel - its a brilliant way to get spuds. Went last year as I live only a few miles away. To answer your question. It does get a bit busy I was there about 3/4 hour before and joined a queue!! Raymond Blanc says his bit and opens it and its gets your skates on- you have to pay entrance fee but you save that on the spuds. Last year you took a load of paper bags and a pen from the tabels at the side and helped yourself  marking on the bags how many tubers you had - everyone was honest as far as I could see so you could have 5 or 50. They you pay on the way out I think is was the same price for all spuds. It make different this year. More varities than you can shake a stick at and as you pick your own from the boxes you get to choose some good plump spuds. Two words of advice take a friend to stand on the sidelines and then can join in the scrum for the spuds then pass the bag out to your friend and tell then what you have so they can do the writing bit and off you go again - its fun, it really is and take a shopping trolley they weigh a bit when you you get carried away like I did. I thought the rest of things on show like potato tasting and how to compost was a bit poor and I would have though a few seed compaines could have shown initative and set up stall but I shall be there again this year elbows ready

[zazen999]

We showed up last year about 1pm; had a spot of lunch, meandered around looking at the gardens [as usual] and then got our spuds. I don't like queuing or crowds.

This meant we didn't get any my faves but I already had a bag of those anyway. But, we did get a range of others and have now discovered a red type that we will probably concentrate on growing alongside my faves.

It is free for members, and on members day you can have one paying guest.

I think on non-members day it will be the same £6 entry for non-members as it always is.

[DD.]

strangerachel,

Have a look at this thread, particularly the first entry.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=35584.0

Nearly 90 varieties to chose from, no panic to go on one particular day and you can reserve them on the internet for picking up. (Any number you want). (Can be posted if you wish).

All were only £1.10 a kilo this year, including the Sarpo variants and Pink Fir Apple, which are normally more expensive.

It's not a million miles from Rugby and may save you a long journey with a hangover!

[strangerachael]

Thanks for these replies. I am beginning to abandon the Ryton idea for this year and try again the year after, I just can't see us getting back in time particularly as we will have to pick up our kids from the grandparents on the way back, which will mean staying for lunch etc.
In the meantime I might give the place in Ansty a try, so thanks for that suggestion.
I like the choice you can get from Thompson and Morgan but there are a number of drawbacks with mail order, such as not knowing when they're going to arrive, postage costs etc. The thing that really annoys me is that you pay almost the same price for 10 tubers as you do for 20, sometimes you just want to try a few.