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Grow Your Own / Re: Potato Failure..
« Last post by Aidy on Yesterday at 21:12 »We have a chap from Ireland on site, his way is... "in with Paddy, out with Billy"So the question I was once asked by a farmer who is one of our patients.... why are you planting main's so early when you are going to store them?That's interesting Aidy. I have always followed the advice given by the late Joe Maiden, who used to have a radio show on Radio Leeds, and whose book Grow with Joe is an excellent one. He recommended planting all types of potatoes at the same time, 1st earlies, 2nd earlies, early maincrop, maincrop and salad. His rationale was that early potatoes take approximately 12 weeks, second earlies 16 weeks, early maincrop take until August and maincrop until September.
I was like you sowing in March.
I now follow our local farmers. Mains go in first weekend of May, my earlys 2nd weekend of April.
Done this about 4 years now and always get very good crops, others on site are moaning coz they have lost a good few due to more than average raInfall. They will not learn!
I follow this method, usually planting mid April here in Yorkshire and it works well for me.
So 17th March he was on sowing them, not long after he was F ing and Jeffing coz they were sat in water for days, he has lost at least half his crop!
Our last frost date is around end of April now so this why I always hang on.
You find the best way that works for you in your area.
Good luck hope you get a good crop.