[Max4]

Hi everyone, probably a very silly question but I had a search and couldn't find an answer. I have two beds to plant with potatoes, one with early's and one main crop. Each bed is 5 square metres and I was wondering how many kilos of seed potatoes I would need for each bed, don't want to order too few and also don't want too many. Unfortunately we don't have a site shop so I have to order on line.

Many thanks

Mark

[Snoop]

Have a look at the jba seed potato site - they have a calculator that you can use to work it out. You don't have to buy from them, of course. They have some useful videos as well on how to plant and grow potatoes. I found the how-to-plant one very useful. Got the best crop I've ever had for the least effort I've ever made.

[mumofstig]

Link for JBA here, the calculator is at the bottom of the page
http://www.jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk/

[m1ckz]

you can grow about 120 potao sets...

[Max4]

Very many thanks

[DD.]

Not in 5m², you can't!!!

If the bed was 1m x 5m, for instance, you might get 30 or so in - 2 x rows of 15. That's earlies - less for maincrop.

Can we be sure we're talking 5 square metres, or a 5 metre square, which is 25m².

[DD.]

For what it's worth, JBA say only 16 earlies in the plot size I stated, although I still think you could squeeze 30 in.

[m1ckz]

i took it as 5m x 5m

[m1ckz]

yes it does say 5sq metres   sry  my mistake an ty DD

[3759allen]

just to add to the confusion but depends how big / how much each potato weigh's.

if you find they're on the large side you could half them and dry the cuts to make the numbers up, i've personally never done this but hear people do do it successfully.

[Goosegirl]

Easiest way is to look at the planting distances, then draw your beds on a piece of paper and mark out where they go.

[Grubbypaws]

JBA website looks good; are their potatoes also good? After my problems with frozen seed potatoes from T&M I am looking for a new source, is this the best?

Snoop, where are the videos that you mention? I couldn’t find them.

[cadalot]

On the left is a photo of my 2.4 x 1.2m beds with holes drilled for seed potatoes a couple of years ago there are ultimately two rows of 9 holes, so 18 seed potatoes per bed. I marked up a 2.4m long timber batten with different spacing, but now I use the weed membrane that's my planting template, see the photo on the right   

[Yorkie]

JBA website looks good; are their potatoes also good? After my problems with frozen seed potatoes from T&M I am looking for a new source, is this the best?

Snoop, where are the videos that you mention? I couldn’t find them.

Yes, JBA is a good supplier.

[mumofstig]

I'll second that - but until they get a new machine, they are not selling any smaller packets, which were useful if you were trying new varieties.