4.5m x 1.2m of spuds - enough for a family?

Salmo · « **Reply #15 on:** January 04, 2009, 22:38 »

I have just worked things out on the back of an envelope and the one thing nobody has told you is that these two beds will not keep you in potatoes beyond about the end of July.

Probably forget about main crop altogether. In one bed grow a row of earlies and a row of second earlies. 12 plants of each. The early might be something like rocket or swift which bulks very early so that the seconds follow on as more new potatoes. Many varieties of seconds tend to disintegrate in the pan as they get mature.

In the other bed grow salad potatoes. Charlotte is well liked and matures as a second early but keeps. My favorite is pink fir apple which matures with the maincrops. Both of these will impress your guests. Individual pink fir apple potatoes drizzled with oil and baked in the oven are heaven. We are still eating them now.

shaun · « **Reply #16 on:** January 04, 2009, 22:44 »

i grow about this many every year for a family of 4 and a few freebies

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #17 on:** January 04, 2009, 22:50 »

Wow Shauny, that's a lot of spuds!

At first, I used to look at Dr Hessayon's veg book as he does tell you what spacings you need, sometimes I still look at it, but I give things their full amount of room when I can, but sometimes have to budge things up a bit when I get short of space. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't!! lol

But I do have a plan of my veg garden on the computer and I put in it each year what I'm growing where, just to remind me for next year's rotation. But it's only a plan I drew myself.

Janeymiddlewife · « **Reply #18 on:** January 04, 2009, 22:50 »

Quote from: "shaun"

i grow about this many every year for a family of 4 and a few freebies

Blimey shaun - there's 6 of us - I'd better get on the Waiting list for a 2nd lottie quick!

Janeymiddlewife · « **Reply #19 on:** January 04, 2009, 22:56 »

Quote from: "puravida"

The planner I have been using today is here:

GrowVeg.com

Takes a few mins to get into the swing of it - I recommend watching the help videos. They offer a 30 day free trial which I am using. It's £15 per year after that but I'm figuring on having everything planned out within the free trial period.

It's useful not only to plan the space but tells you how many plants you need and when to sow them etc etc.

Puravida - don't want to burst your bubble, but have you tried printing any off? I find that you can't scale them down to fit on 1 page and my plot spreads over 3 pages. I tried to be clever and do 4 year rotation plan, but having dropped the pile i'm not sure what is where. Also you won't be able to access your plans once the 30 days is up.
I took out a second & 3rd account with different addresses mainly because I'd had to move plots, then had to crawl to them because I'd forgotten my password! They were very nice about it once i'd explained the situation (after an initial telling-off!) - so I might try a year's subscription - will let you know how it goes (have back up plan on graph paper - can't stand Excel!)

shaun · « **Reply #20 on:** January 04, 2009, 22:57 »

but if you are going to grow that many then you will need one of these to earth em up for you

sorry about the quality the phones dodo on video :cry:

FCG · « **Reply #21 on:** January 04, 2009, 23:14 »

Mad, is that stored on site or did you drive it off the local fields?

Or is it someone's pride and joy getting an airing?

DD. · « **Reply #22 on:** January 05, 2009, 06:39 »

Quote from: "Salmo"

I have just worked things out on the back of an envelope and the one thing nobody has told you is that these two beds will not keep you in potatoes beyond about the end of July.

I did not wish to put it quite so bluntly, but I alluded to the fact that the answer to the actual question posed is "no", when I posted the quantities that your envelope also came up with!

PAH48 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 05, 2009, 07:39 »

hi.. last year was my first down the lottie as many of you know,
One thing I've learn't, its all trial and error, Oh! and don't do as I did
give too many away, after lifting the first few, thought Bl...y we'll
never get through this lot. We did!! Ran out mid November
been buying 'em since :roll: Such is life

Bye PAH still

'in

growveg · « **Reply #24 on:** January 06, 2009, 11:11 »

Hi,
Just thought you might like to have a reply to this from the person who wrote the software!
GrowVeg.com shows a coloured area around each plant/row which shows the plant family and minimum amount of space it requires and this is then used to calculate how many plants you can squeeze in. As shown below, on a 4 x 1.2m bed you would get 24 earlies (2 rows) - top bed - or 11 maincrop (1 row) - bottom bed (each cluster of potatoes represents one plant). The software does allow you to space things closer than this but you shouldn't overlap things like potatoes since they do much better with space. Instead, best to add something that crops early like lettuce which will be harvested by the time the potatoes are big.

So I think, puravida, you were just overlapping the rows too much and need to give them a bit more space.
Hope this helps. We're always open to feedback on this but it's good to see that the above picture tallies with most people's back-of-an-envelope calculation.
BTW, happy for people to just use the site for 30 days and then not subscribe. But we think for many people the advantages of a well-planned plot will soon make the cost worthwhile.

Kagganz · « **Reply #25 on:** January 06, 2009, 12:55 »

i joind the site yesterday for the free 30 day trial after reading about it on this site. I enjoyed putting my virtual veg in my virtual garden!!

Not been on it today but might go now for another mooch............

shaun · « **Reply #26 on:** January 06, 2009, 16:45 »

:? :? :?

shaun · « **Reply #27 on:** January 06, 2009, 16:45 »

:? :? :?

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4.5m x 1.2m of spuds - enough for a family?

Janeymiddlewife

Janeymiddlewife