[Gravedigger]

O.K. so I thought I was all ready to plant my spuds this week but now I'm having doubts.  As a child we always planted spuds on St. Patrick's Day and I planned to adjust this by a few days to fit in with the full moon (just in case there is anything in it) but now I'm thinking it may still be too cold.  Should I wait?  Our site is quite exposed and elevated.

The chits are still less than 1cm but a nice deep purple colour,

Also, talking to a couple with an allotment nearby, they suggested I just dug a hole through the ground and dropped a spud in rather than preparing the soil, then earth up as required.  I know my parents have done similar to break up ground before...any advice?

Sorry if these are stupid questions but have only grown in containers before

[Kristen]

I think they will grow if planted now.  I think they will probably catch up if planted in a week or 10 days if it will be warmer by then.

But my overriding factor for planting date would be how soon they will be above ground, and how long you will have to protect them against frosts.  You will be able to earth them up for probably three weeks from first-show, but after that it will be fleece and a nightly vigil of keeping the frost off them

So I grow some spuds in bags for the early first earlies, and delay planting outside until the end of March

[fatbelly]

I have sown my 1st and 2nd Earlies today.
If my memory is correct they will show above ground in about 4 weeks which will be about 15th April I will cover them up which will take us to about first week in May and I am crossing my fingers that by then we will have seen the last of the frosts.

Again from Memory the 4 years that I have had a plot we had a frost once on the 1st June and the other three years no frost after May 1st, so I am playing with odds of 1 in 4

[Kristen]

My First Earlies last year (Arran Pilot) were planted on 7th April, and I made a note that they could not be earthed up any more on 1st May, and I started harvesting them on 7th June

[alibean]

Good Friday is traditional for me.  Not exactly scientific with Easter moving about all over the place (might even go a bit earlier this year what with it being a later one).   

This has less to do with the spuds and more to do with me having the following 3 days off work for the back to recover!

[Kristen]

Good Friday is traditional for me.  Not exactly scientific with Easter moving about all over the place

5 weeks from earliest to latest Easter dates - your earlies will be lates this year!

more to do with me having the following 3 days off work for the back to recover!

That part I understand

Polypots perhaps - and plant-out at Easter?  Just a passing thought ...

[Gravedigger]

Thanks everyone..I'll plant on Saturday as planned and get some fleece

[bigben]

I planted on St Patrick's day -(17th March?) - last year. However I did end up losing half a row to frost as I ran out of soil to keep earthing up. I plan on leaving it a couple more weeks this year.

[JayG]

I am also planning to delay planting my first earlies until the end of this month, partly to try and avoid any late frost problems, and partly because I need to grow them as fast as I possibly can before the potato eelworm potentially knocks them back. 

[Paul Plots]

Down here, in the sunny south, I've put them in on March 16th on one occasion...but more often wait until Good Friday or near abouts.

The main concern is protecting them from frost once they are through. Once I have earthed up two or three times I find grass mowings works really well to give a final bit of protection.

Neighbours had part of their crop hit by frost (the year I planted later than them - end of March) but the grass mulch protected mine completely. Unlike fleece it's free and has less tendancy to blow away. 

[Aidy]

In with Paddy out with Billy!
I dug some volunteer spuds up on Monday digging over last years bed ready for the pea's n stuff, they had shoots about 4 inches so me thinks our soil at least is ready for them.
So long as they are well earthed up they shouold be ok.

[Paul Plots]

In with Paddy out with Billy!
I dug some volunteer spuds up on Monday digging over last years bed ready for the pea's n stuff, they had shoots about 4 inches so me thinks our soil at least is ready for them.
So long as they are well earthed up they shouold be ok.

I think you're right but it is the earthing-up that's crucial to stop early growth from being decimated.

[Snoop]

O.K. so I thought I was all ready to plant my spuds this week but now I'm having doubts.  As a child we always planted spuds on St. Patrick's Day and I planned to adjust this by a few days to fit in with the full moon (just in case there is anything in it)

Here, the traditional day for planting potatoes is St. Joseph's day (19 March). But if you want to plant according to the moon phases, my "peasant's almanac", as it's called here, says you want the last quarter of the moon, not the full moon for potatoes. So that would be 26 March and the next few days.

[DD.]

I adhere to strict planting guidelines.

Very late March perhaps, early April, maybe, at a date convenient to me.

[Kristen]

I adhere to strict planting guidelines too.

Definitely not late March and usually not the first week of April, as that has historically meant I have had to work hard to keep the frost off them once they are above-ground and have been earthed up as much as I can ridge-them