[Clairefly]

Hello everyone i'm based near Manchester and I have windowsills full of potatoes chitted and ready to go but...the area I have dug ready for planting is very wet! I have tried forking over the area to enable it to dry out but of course it means it also takes more water in when it rains! I usually plant my potatoes in a trench I have nowhere else to put them, what can I do? HELP

[New shoot]

Hi Clairefly and welcome.

I've moved this into our GYO section so you can get some advice from the spuds growers 

[sunshineband]

Hi Clairefly and welcome to the forum.

A couple of ideas:

- place the seed potatoes directly on the surface and cover with landscape membrane, which will let water through when it rains and so should allow the soil to dry a bit still. Cut a small hole above each tuber when you can see the shoots bulging. The potatoes form under the covering and are easy to harvest. Some people also add a layer of straw under the covering.

- grow them in bags or pots, and keep the rest until the soil is drier. I have had decent returns from one spud in a cheap bucket or an old compost bag so you don't need to buy much. They do need feeding though!

I am sure there will be other ideas come forward too, but I hope that helps a bit

[Salmo]

If your potatoes are sitting chitting the can wait until conditions are right. That is one good reason to chit. You are in plenty of time. Plant too soon and they will be caught by frost when they come up

If stirring up your soil is a problem put them in with a trowel or bulb planter. They will be the same depth as in a trench. When they emerge draw the soil over them.

[JayG]

Agree with Salmo - I'm at a similar latitude to you Clairefly and over the years have sown spuds as early as 23rd March and as late as 18th April, the difference is usually (but not always  ) due to the weather and soil conditions at the time.

(I've also kept surplus seed potatoes chitting away until late summer 'just in case' - they shrivel up somewhat but are still perfectly viable if kept in cool but light conditions.)

You will of course struggle to grow them if the soil is permanently waterlogged, but having grown them before it's probably just a matter of waiting (if there's an anti-rain dance which works in Manchester you could try that too!  )

[Clairefly]

Thanks everyone, think I will hold fire and hope things dry up soon!