[merlinrail]

Hi all .
I have grown Christmas potatoes in sacks before but having a new allotment I was wondering if it is possible to grow Christmas potatoes in the ground, possibly covering them up with a bit of old carpet or something, any advice would be welcome.
cheers
Roy

[mother hen]

Hi merlinrail,  

  It is really sad that no one replied to your post, I have been away a couple of times recently and so am just catching up with the latest posts, its really great to read the lighthearted entertaining banter and see mostly that people get lots of help, praise and sympathy when they need it but on the other hand recently it has seemed that some folks are more interested in judging folk than bothering to help answer questions.   :shock:

Come on folks surely this forum should  be a welcoming nice place to visit, lots of us have to put up with miserable gits at work or home, lets concentrate on the "chat" gardens, veg, food and chickens and lets be kind and helpful to everyone rich, poor, black, white, young, old, super intelligent and not quite so. Im sure lots of people visit this site because they want a more peaceful existance we dont need anymore stress in this life!  :sunny:

So back to the question of Christmas tatties, I planted 3 lots in raised beds after harvesting the early and summer spuds, which were good and blight free.  

The first 2 lots came up well but then died as they hit the warm wet humid weather and caught blight from my tomato plants, but being planted a few weeks later the last lot have come up nicely, I am no expert on this but think if at first you dont succed try try try again!

I think that success may depend on whether we have frost or not but I think it is worth taking the risk.  If you earth up the spuds will be protected, you might also put down straw between and cover with fleece.

Its just like Christmas really sometimes the present is wrapped up all nice but there is nothing inside and other times you get a lovely surprize!

I suppose planting in bags is good because you could drag in greenhouse or shed if frost likely.

Come on fellow allotment / veg growers help the man out!

[peapod]

Thanks Janet, a very nice post  

Anyway, back to the tatties Roy  
Unfortunately I think you are too late for spuds for Christmas, as they need about 15 weeks or so. The frost can be dealt with (fleece, cloche etc) so if you are still keen for spuds for early new year then go for it
Mine are in compost bags in the GH,planted beginning of September.Hopefully Ill get some for Christmas, but Im not relying on it!

Paula

[Robin Redbreast]

mine are growing nicely in the ground and have been about six weeks now, gonna fleece this week and earth up as i have seen the first signs of tatys on the surface tiny though but i dont care what size they come out as long as i get some for crimbo dinner.

[crowndale]

mine were fine til around novemebr as I recall, last year.  but then the frost got to them and they died back.  got verey few spuds for the amount of seed and they were very small though fairly tasty, but obviously too early for Christmas!!  worth the effort as I hadn't paid for the seed spuds, but I wouldn't bother again.  and, as already stated, probably too late now to plant anyway, mine went in in august last eyar.

[GrannieAnnie]

I wouldn't not reply to a post on purpose, especially as I find this particular subject interesting, having tried it for a couple of years now with varying success!  But I find that sometimes, either my Brian gets on here and looks at stuff but never replies or for some reason, by the time I get on here, it's marked as read when I haven't, if you know what I mean?

I haven't yet tried growing Chritmas tatties outside.  Mine are usually in the greenhouse.  the first year I tried, I was a bit late planting them in pots and we had them New Year.  Last year all ws going well until the winds broke all the glass in my little greenhouse and the glass ripped the plants to bits.  This year I only got  around to planting one pot of fire apples, but I tipped them out last week as my friend is desperate for big pots as she is moving and wants to take her plants with her to her new place.

[JulesJ]

We grew Carlingford in stacks of car tyres on the lottie with no frost protection; put them in early August, harvested Novemberish, I think. We certainly didn't have frost in October that year.

I've just discovered a net of Carlingford that arrived in August and I forgot to plant them. Is it too late to try them in bags in the greenhouse, does anyone know?

[Yorkie]

On today's GQT, Bob Flowerdew's tip was to stick spuds in now - a bit deeper than you would normally do - and they will be nice and early next year.

[JulesJ]

Great - thanks for that

[cawdor2001]

Potato tops are VERY susceptible to frost, if you get one and the tops are unprotected they will suffer badly.  You can fleece them but you will need a couple of layers min.  If youcover with carpet then the tops will not come through so whilst that might warm up the soil initialy and get them going you will have to take it off after say 3 weeks and then fleece them when frost forecast.  I am re-using the grow bags i had my cucumbers in this year , just stuffed a tuber in each hole where the cuc's were, in the potting shed.

Cawdor

[Scribbler]

I planted some Christmas spuds in an old dustbin that had been cut down to about 2 ft tall, then when there were some left over I planted some more in a non-raised bed as I thought they would be safer from the frost, and then some in a raised bed because they were left over.

The bottom line is that I didn't move the tub into the greenhouse in time, and freak frosts really clobbered the whole lot. The tub is now in a frost-free part of the patio, right next to the house. But they're looking really poorly.

If I get any spuds I'll take a piccie as I can now post do this again with the new computer.

But don't hold your breath!!!