[Jeanieblue]

After a disastrous, mini Irish potato famine up here in the NE in 2008, I'd appreciate advice on best spuds to grow in heavy soil. Thanks for looking!

[sharky]

I have the heaviest soil known to man so personally I don't bother growing them.
I stick to stuff that grows out of the ground. 

That's no help to you I'm afraid. 

[Goosegirl]

I had a pretty bad year spud-wise in the NW too. My soil is heavy silt in raised beds and I try to use slug and blight resistant varieties but even so they succumbed. Strangely enough I also tried Mayan Gold (the one they raved about on TV for mash and chips) and, although I had some losses, there weren't as many compared to the others. I think they were from T+M - Google it in case others are selling them. I wondered about growing them on top of the soil underneath black polythene but it might blow away as it is rather exposed here but it's an option. Best of luck.

[Greengirl]

I garden on  heavy clay too & add lots of rotted compost or manure - whatever I can get my hands on really. I also use raised beds & don't have a problem growing spuds apart from slugs & blight as everyone recently, so don't think it matters which you grow. I did try growing under black plastic once, but had a bad problem with slugs & rats which enjoyed their nice dry potato cafeteria.

[johnnyboy]

After a disastrous, mini Irish potato famine up here in the NE in 2008, I'd appreciate advice on best spuds to grow in heavy soil. Thanks for looking!

This is a nice, well intended reply to this post.

Please dont refer to the fact that your potatoes failed as a "mini Irish potato famine".

During the Irish potato famine of 1845-49 approx 1,000,000 people died.

[Frecks]

I garden on a mix of clay/chalk.  I've had reasonable success with Charlotte and Sarpo Mira but this year I'm going to try the Bob Flowerdew tyre method using imported topsoil.
I think this may be less labour intensive (fortunately I have a local supply of old tyres).  I have to consider my advanced years!
Frecks

[Hampshire Hog]

I have a plot with clay on top of hampshire chalk. I have added some muck etc and find that I do well with Romano a nice red spud. Have also grown swift but they seemed to give me a poor crop for the effort. Also had a good result with red duke of york. I would concentrate on adding lots of muck/compost and then try a range of second earlies. Avoids blight of maincrop but gives a better crop than first earlies at least for me

cheers HH

[richyrich7]

As with hampshire hog, reds do best for me on our clay soils.
Red duke of York did very well as 1st earlies, and Romano was by far the best performer as main crop

[vegmandan]

I have a clay soil and Nicola do very well for me 

[sharky]

Please dont refer to the fact that your potatoes failed as a "mini Irish potato famine".

During the Irish potato famine of 1845-49 approx 1,000,000 people died.

some people huh. 

[crowndale]

None of mine did well last year, what wasn't blighted got eaten by those tiddly little wiry wormy things and/or slugs. maybe managed about 1/5 of the crop as edible.  I have very poor clay soil at the moment. am hoping that a bed with two years worth of horse pooh might do better this year, but then I need the good weather too! 

[Farmer Fred]

Please dont refer to the fact that your potatoes failed as a "mini Irish potato famine".

During the Irish potato famine of 1845-49 approx 1,000,000 people died.

some people huh. 

aye, some people indeed. it seems the Irish are still fair game in this politically correct world.

Had the OP said their crops failed, "it was like Ethiopia", i'm sure, or at least hope it wouldnt be tolerated.

[richyrich7]

Please dont refer to the fact that your potatoes failed as a "mini Irish potato famine".

During the Irish potato famine of 1845-49 approx 1,000,000 people died.

some people huh. 

aye, some people indeed. it seems the Irish are still fair game in this politically correct world.

Had the OP said their crops failed, "it was like Ethiopia", i'm sure, or at least hope it wouldnt be tolerated.

 I imagine the OP just used the words "mini Irish potato famine" as a simile with no harm intended. 

Lets keep it on topic please.

[woodburner]

If your soil really is too heavy to grow potatoes in you could try growing 'on' it instead.
Layer of cardboard, thickish layer of well rotted manure, plant spuds into the manure, 'earth up'  with straw, with a final covering of grass cuttings, earth or whatever is most convenient to keep out the light. It's a lot less work than the traditional method and makes the tatties dead easy to dig up too. 

[Jeanieblue]

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. Jeanieblue