[JayG]

I thought small seed spuds were supposed to be good for first earlies. Didn't I read somewhere that small seed spuds are more likely to give lots of small spuds, so perfect for first earlies?

Possibly related to seed spud size, but the "debate" I've seen is how removing some or most of the chits before planting influences the tuber size and overall size of crop.

I'm not sure what conclusions the "jury" ever comes to at the end of such discussions - I leave all the chits on and let the spud do the thinking for me! 

[DD.]

My Lady Christls are on the small side this year, but what the heck, I managed to get some and 31 only cost me £1.20!

[Doc_D]

I reckon Ive spent most on deisel driving round the local nurseries!  I appreciate that I paid over the odds for the LCs but could not find any locally.  Interesting to see what people pay - I attended a potato day in Bristol recently, paid to enter (£1.50 each for me and the other half) and the spuds were 22p each! 

[dugless]

My Lady Christls are on the small side this year, but what the heck, I managed to get some and 31 only cost me £1.20!

Wow my I ask where you got them at that price.
Though I only plant 20 because there are only two of us and by the time we get to the end of them they are getting past it.

[DD.]

It's a local nursery at Anstey, just outside Leicester.

[Grubbypaws]

Unfortunately they did not have any lady crystl.
I see on the web they are in short supply (and I have no intention of ordering from T&M!)

Does everyone have problems with T&M. My potatoes arrived in the back of a van in the middle of the cold spell. They were mighty cold to the touch but I seem to have got away with it. Where is the best place to buy them by post? I also failed to get my favourite Vivaldi which is why I bought from T&M originally.

[noshed]

We're selling our seed spuds for 80p a kilo in out site shop.

[Elaine G]

Does everyone have problems with T&M.

Grubbypaws my biggest problem with T&M is the cost of £9.48 inc postage for 10 lady crystl tubers which may or may not be decent quality.
I prefer to support local independant businesses where possible and save money too.

Elaine

[BabbyAnn]

Does everyone have problems with T&M.

In the past their potato prices were on par with most other online suppliers and to be fair their 2kg popular potatoes were on special offer for a while.  I've always looked out for the offer of free postage over the Christmas break, but last year after the blight and possible low stocks, I went elsewhere to order them earlier.  I'd agree that their small pack of seed potatoes are and always have been expensive, on top of postage.  As regards to quality, the seed potatoes have been fine.  If you only want a few potatoes, perhaps it would be cheaper to source locally in garden centres or diy like Homebase, B&Q or Wilkos?

[shokkyy]

I can't really see the point in paying postage and taking a risk on delivered quality when I've got a couple of good local garden centres that have a very big range of brand name packaged seed spuds, just like T&M do, but they generally charge less for them. One of them (Wyevale) also have a decent selection of loose seed spuds. When I buy from these, not only am I paying less and paying no P&P, but I can have a good look at the spuds before I buy them.

[shokkyy]

I thought small seed spuds were supposed to be good for first earlies. Didn't I read somewhere that small seed spuds are more likely to give lots of small spuds, so perfect for first earlies?

Possibly related to seed spud size, but the "debate" I've seen is how removing some or most of the chits before planting influences the tuber size and overall size of crop.

I'm not sure what conclusions the "jury" ever comes to at the end of such discussions - I leave all the chits on and let the spud do the thinking for me! 

That's made me wonder now, so I'm going to try experimenting with them. I bought a load of Arran Pilots loose from my Wyevale, I picked out some that were pretty small and some that were bigger. I'm going to do a row of small and a row of big and see if it makes any difference to the crop I get.

[JayG]

Don't forget to let us know the outcome Shokkyy. 

My guess is that the larger ones will be off the mark quicker because there is a larger food store to feed the roots and shoots before they can fend for themselves. I don't think larger seeds necessarily have more chits on than smaller ones though, so the crop itself may turn out very similar.

[devonbarmygardener]

On the potato debate - I had quite a good early crop from 'Homeguard' and 'Duke of York'. Now I only plant 'Belle de Fontanay' early - so delicious.

As for T&M - they always send stuff too late to plant for these *eh-hem* "warmer parts" of the country (we are supposed to be getting more snow and since Candlemas Day was fair and bright I' pretty much believing the forecast for once!
The plants I did manage to get from them didn't grow every well and all the perennial plants I put in my insect bed didn't grow well that year and didn't come up again the following year!

The sweet potato slips me and John shared from T&M didn't do very well - probably because by the time they sent them most of our best sun and heat (which comes around end of April to June these days) was over.

So no - don't like T&M anymore

[Growster...]

We learned our lesson, when Marshalls were weeks far too late.

Never again, we go to our local GCs, and can see the stuff we're buying.