[tooo many seeds]

1) i have today put in my first earlies potatoes,and was wondering whether i should be chitting any more for seconds or main crop

2) also once the firsts are dug up can others be planted in there or is that it for spuds in that area till next year and i have to put in say cabbages,brocolli etc.

3) i dont have a huge plot and my spuds are 18inches apart as instructed which takesup alot of room. how many of each ie 1st early /seconds /main would you put in for a family of 4.

i'm muddling through my first 2 months with a allotment as yo can probably tell


[edited to insert question numbers]

[Munchkin]

oo good questions! I wish I could answer them so I'll stalk this thread.

Is is too late to start chitting first earlies? I want to grow Pentland Javelins. If I bought seed now would I need to chit and wait and totally miss it?

[Yorkie]

Hi TMS, I've put question numbers into your post otherwise it's very complicated to answer a multi-question post 

1) You can continue chitting your spuds until they go in.  The reference to first / second / maincrop isn't about when you plant them, it's about when they are ready.  1sts take the least amount of time to be ready, then the seconds, then the maincrop. 

You should continue to plant the rest when you have time - it's probably a little early to start planting out unless you're in the SW.  If you edit your forum profile to show your location it will help us answer your questions better.

2) You can't usually follow on with another crop of spuds.  I wouldn't, for sure.

3) Don't know but I doubt you'll manage to be self-sufficient on a small plot.


To Munchkin, no it's not too late.  You don't have to chit at all if you prefer not to, anyway.

[mumofstig]

Munchkin.....If you buy your earlies asap and set them to chit, just plant them when you normally would whether they have much in the way of shoots or not....it doesn't really matter. It's more important to get them in on time, or else they won't be early will they

2manyseeds.....same advice for 2nds and mains, buy them now and chit them while you are waiting to plant them.
The first earlies could have been a little closer than 18in if you're short on space, cos they're not growing for long. It'll be too late to plant more spuds after you've dug your earlies, and not really a good idea anyway. Leeks or dwarf green beans, or winter cabbages can follow after the earlies.

Can't help with quantities, as I only do a few of each on my small plot

I looks as if I agree with Yorkie 

[savbo]

if you've only planted them today you could dig them up and plant 12" apart. But I would think it's a bit early to be planting, unless you're in somewhere very warm?

[tooo many seeds]

if you've only planted them today you could dig them up and plant 12" apart. But I would think it's a bit early to be planting, unless you're in somewhere very warm?

i'm in the south east its warm today :lol:12 degrees but maybe i jumped the gun,several others were getting theirs in so i done my impression of a sheep 

[mumofstig]

I'm in Kent and my earlies will go in about the 17th (St Patricks day) so yours should be ok, but be ready with fleece, or polysheet if a frost is forcast once the tops are too tall to earth up any more!

[Munchkin]

Thanks for your replies! I just ordered first earlies and main crop. So excited now 

[Gandan57]

oo good questions! I wish I could answer them so I'll stalk this thread.

Is is too late to start chitting first earlies? I want to grow Pentland Javelins. If I bought seed now would I need to chit and wait and totally miss it?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 If you've left it a bit late to start chitting you could plant each seed potato in moist compost in a small pot with the eyes level with the top of the compost. Keep in a light warm place and they will send up chits quickly and also roots down into the compost.

edit to clarify quote

[Kristen]

If you plant early then (so long as the soil is not cold and wet, which might cause them to rot) your only real problem is that they are prey to frost - which is only an issue once their leaves are above the ground.

The later you plant them the fewer the number of frosty nights. For a newbie I think it would be better to plant a bit later than have the hassle of trying to keep them frost-free.

You have about 3 weeks, maybe 4, from planting before you will have earthed them up as much as you can - particularly with the really fast First Early varieties.

After that you have to try to keep the frost off by covering them on each night that frost is forecast with fleece. Last year we had late frosts and even double-layers of fleece were not enough, and even those of mine that were completely covered with grass clippings and double layers of fleece got frosted.

Frost is unlikely to kill them, but it does kill the tips / leaves - so the plant has to waste energy regrowing - which either delays the harvest, or reduces it ... which brings us back to starting a bit later in order to avoid all that!

I grow some potatoes in bags for the really early crops, and as a result I don't rush to start off the outdoor ones at the earliest possible date.

[tooo many seeds]

If you plant early then (so long as the soil is not cold and wet, which might cause them to rot) your only real problem is that they are prey to frost - which is only an issue once their leaves are above the ground.

The later you plant them the fewer the number of frosty nights. For a newbie I think it would be better to plant a bit later than have the hassle of trying to keep them frost-free.

You have about 3 weeks, maybe 4, from planting before you will have earthed them up as much as you can - particularly with the really fast First Early varieties.

After that you have to try to keep the frost off by covering them on each night that frost is forecast with fleece. Last year we had late frosts and even double-layers of fleece were not enough, and even those of mine that were completely covered with grass clippings and double layers of fleece got frosted.

Frost is unlikely to kill them, but it does kill the tips / leaves - so the plant has to waste energy regrowing - which either delays the harvest, or reduces it ... which brings us back to starting a bit later in order to avoid all that!

I grow some potatoes in bags for the really early crops, and as a result I don't rush to start off the outdoor ones at the earliest possible date.

i'm using the clares allotment on youtube method of making mounds to protect them from frost till they break through

[Kristen]

i'm using the clares allotment on youtube method of making mounds to protect them from frost till they break through

I haven;t seen the video, but it sounds like what I would call "earthing up". (It can't be much deeper otherwise the spuds would never grow up the surface!)

So on that basis you have 3 - 4 weeks until they need additional protection. Planted today that would take you to first / second week of April. You don't have anything in your "Location" so I don't know what part of the country you are in, but I think you run the risk of having to work hard to keep the frost off them in the second half of April.

Might not be any cold nights towards the end of April this year, of course ... but last year we had two significant periods of frost in the second half of April, and another 11-13 May.

[tooo many seeds]

i'm using the clares allotment on youtube method of making mounds to protect them from frost till they break through

I haven;t seen the video, but it sounds like what I would call "earthing up". (It can't be much deeper otherwise the spuds would never grow up the surface!)

So on that basis you have 3 - 4 weeks until they need additional protection. Planted today that would take you to first / second week of April. You don't have anything in your "Location" so I don't know what part of the country you are in, but I think you run the risk of having to work hard to keep the frost off them in the second half of April.

Might not be any cold nights towards the end of April this year, of course ... but last year we had two significant periods of frost in the second half of April, and another 11-13 May.

i'm in the mediterranean south east

[Yorkie]

Sorry, TMS, do you mean the SE Mediterranean or the SE of England (which is of course permanently tropical  )

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