[debih]

We were too late to plant out winter potatoes last year as the company I ordered them from wrote to say that they had run out. 

Can anyone please tell me when I should start thinking about getting them and when they should be planted.  Should I be able to get them from a garden centre do you think or should I order them online (I only ask as I have seen some online for £4.50 for 12 but the postage is  £4.50 which I think makes them rather expensive potatoes!).

Also, any recommendations on variety would be helpful. 

[Yorkie]

They need to be planted about August. 

You may still be able to get seed tubers now, not sure whether they will keep till then for planting but you will find Christmas seed tubers exorbitant.  Please don't use supermarket spuds as seed tubers instead though.

[Ivor Backache]

They need to be planted about August

When you sat 'they' are you talking about earlies, 2nd earlies or maincrop seed? I understand the supermarket aspect but I could keep back some of my own crop grown from seed, but I don't know which one.

[digalotty]

i got mine from a garden centre last year , maris peer

[portcullis]

Would they be best grown as usual or under a fleece?

[Yorkie]

I've never thought about which variety to use, I'd probably consider one of the earlies rather than maincrop, given that once it gets colder towards the end of the year then the plant effectively stops growing.

Definitely will need fleece and lots of it towards the end of the year to protect from frost.  If you have a greenhouse or sheltered position then plant them in pots so you can move them under cover.

[Jonajo]

I planted some vivaldi and some emerald vale last august, covered with fleece towards end of October, and harvested just before Christmas day, and a few weeks after - before storing them. They were a good size, although not as large as the ones we harvested back in the summer but there were enough of them for us to keep us going

[digalotty]

yes yorkie maris peer 2nd early and planted in pots grown to around a egg size, lovely

[PennyS]

I only got my plot in August last year.  I got some Maris Peer from an eb*y seller and put them in on August Bank Holiday.  We harvested them for Christmas dinner.  I am sure they'd have done better eithe rplanted earlier or done in buckets etc, but it was a start and they were lovely.

[goodegg]

best with earlies plant second week of august and yes you can save your seed from this season but only if they are certified seed spuds that you planted im planting lady crystal as my mate is saving some of his seed for me  i will be planting mine in the greenhouse and good luck to all of you talking of Christmas already.

[Yorkie]

Iain JBA (resident potato seed tuber grower & expert) gave good advice last year.  The August planting date comes from him.

Just a word about re-using seed tubers from this season.  If you are planning on using spuds harvested this season, you need to leave at least 60 days between harvesting and re-sowing.  That means you'd have to be harvesting them in the next couple of weeks or so.  Of course you'd have to be very careful about not re-introducing pests & disease through the re-used seed tuber.

However, keeping seed tubers bought earlier this year for use later in the year carries no additional risk.

[Iain@JBA]

The honest truth is that depending on where you live you can plant these as late as mid August. I would try and get some for the start of July and chit them for a couple of weeks to make sure they will grow.

Plant them around mid July onwards and I would put them into containers or in the ground under a cloche/polytunnel just to keep the rain off them which can lead to blight outbreaks.

When you water any potatoes after July time try not to wet the leaves as this will cause any blight spore to become active.

In the winter the cloche or polytunnel will help protect them from frost. you can move your containers indoors at the first signs of frost.

Your harvest will be a smaller crop of new sized potatoes that will be nice and tasty.

Are you growing any Yorkie?

[Yorkie]

Nice to hear from you Iain 

I've got some spuds in at present but nowhere to protect them later in the year so probably won't risk it (although we did overorder our seed tubers at the lotty association so all tubers are now free, perhaps it's worth grabbing a few earlies and giving it another go this year  )

[andy135]

I was thinking of blanching and freezing a couple of portions of my first earlies, and get them out of the freezer on Christmas eve! 
Might save a lot of trouble, or does that defeat the object of the exercise?

[mumofstig]

The Kitchen Gardener: keep back a few potatoes from your first early crop and put them in a biscuit tin of damp sand. Put the lid on and bury the tin at the end of the veg plot, marking the spot with a cane. You can unearth the tin on Christmas morning, and with any luck you'll have a few 'new potatoes' as part of your festive fare. Alan Titchmarsh

Might be worth a try