[maxibo]

Oh dear!  I've just received my DT Brown catalogue and they've got second cropping potato tubers which, they say, will be ready to START lifting end of Oct/Nov.  Does this mean if I grew them in tubs/bags that we could have home grown spuds on Christmas day?!  There is loads of lovely stuff in the catalogue - why oh why did I open it up today  :blink:

[mumofstig]

Don't get too excited - few people report reliable crops from these late cropping spuds. IMO they are just a way to part the gullible from their money and to sell the potato seed they didn't sell earlier in the year Cynical moi? 

This thread may be worth reading before you part with your money 
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=68839.msg787586#msg787586

[maxibo]

Hmmm just as I thought.  It sounded too good to be true... which is why I thought I'd ask here first before I whipped out my bank card!  Thanks Mum!  :happy:

[GrannieAnnie]

I've tried it a couple of times Maxi.  The first time I planted in August I think.  in big pots.  Pottoes were quite nice, but small, not many of them and weren't ready until New Year's Day.  Then another year I planted them again, in pots in greenhouse, but the wind at one time was so bad it lifted the greenhouse up and broke a lot of the glass which fell on my pots of potatoes and chopped all the tops off! 

They never did much after that so I scrapped them.

Then I grew some latish in the polytunnel when I had a bit of space.  yeild was smaller than outside, but nice potatoes, no scab or anything, but they were ready Octoberish I think it was.

[maxibo]

Thanks Grannie.  I've got it into my head that we will have home grown veggies for Christmas lunch!  So when I saw these I thought Ace!  But I don't think I'll bother is its that hit and miss.  I may try and experiment with par boiling our own main crop spuds, coating them in flour and freezing them.  I'm sure I did it with some spuds last year and they were ok.  Just roasted from frozen in hot duck fat  . But I can't quite recall for sure how they ended up and I can't risk a 'roast potato emergency' on Christmas Day! My nerves won't stand it! I'll have a couple of trial runs 

[GrannieAnnie]

Trial runs are good!  loads of roasties to test run!   

[Rosehip]

I read in 'Grow It' magazine that if you have Sarpo Mira growing you can lift some in July and chit them to replant and these will work as Christmas potatoes.Im going to give it a try.

[GrannieAnnie]

We can only try these things, sometimes they work, like everything else, sometimes they don't.  But if you don't try, you don't know do you?

Good luck to anyone who succeeds with this one!   

[snow white]

I am going to try this year both in the ground and in a planter.  Both in the poly tunnel.

[maxibo]

Now look 'ere!  I've made my mind up not to bother and now I'm thinking 'Would it hurt to have a go?'.......

[vanessa.xx]

Now look 'ere!  I've made my mind up not to bother and now I'm thinking 'Would it hurt to have a go?'.......

Ha ha I'm the opposite got the catalogue decided which spuds and was going to order in the next couple of days but now wondering whether to bother

[Wild Willow]

I'm going to give it a go.  If it works I'll be happy, if not, well lesson learned and a few extra £ spent for nothing.  At least I'll have satisfied my curiosity 

[Sparkyrog]

only one thing to say ,in 2011 I had some Charlotte seed left over which were totally ignored on the gh staging for months then planted in PT July they did great

[salmonking]

Oh dear!  I've just received my DT Brown catalogue and they've got second cropping potato tubers which, they say, will be ready to START lifting end of Oct/Nov.  Does this mean if I grew them in tubs/bags that we could have home grown spuds on Christmas day?!  There is loads of lovely stuff in the catalogue - why oh why did I open it up today  :blink:

this made me laugh as I am sitting here and by the side of me is my d t brown catalogue which also came today but,now im afraid to open it!lol

[maxibo]

Oh dear!  I've just received my DT Brown catalogue and they've got second cropping potato tubers which, they say, will be ready to START lifting end of Oct/Nov.  Does this mean if I grew them in tubs/bags that we could have home grown spuds on Christmas day?!  There is loads of lovely stuff in the catalogue - why oh why did I open it up today  :blink:

this made me laugh as I am sitting here and by the side of me is my d t brown catalogue which also came today but,now im afraid to open it!lol

I wouldn't if I were you  :blink:.  Wish I hadn't.  I've already ordered some '60 day broccoli rabe'.  Couldn't resist.  I wish I hadn't looked at the blinking thing - they've got onion sets for Autumn planting - but lets not, as they say, 'go there'! .  I have to make my mind up about these spuds......