[mumofstig]

crafty move

[Y.E.A.H]

I'm afraid this year i'm growing anything but the perfect spud! 

[Paul Plots]

Goodness me that's a lot of watering 

It takes about 50 x 10L cans of water to water my potatoes.  I don't think I want to do that too frequently.   

I'm inclined to agree.

I can live without perfect potatoes.  Some of mine, the earlies, were watered twice and the rest take their chances with the weather.  :blink:

[Y.E.A.H]

the rest take their chances with the weather.  :blink:

That's what i did this year but it failed terribly! 

[Paul Plots]

When it stops raining (and my sister can give up a few hours of her time to look after our elderly parents) I hope to dig the first of mine up to check the results so far. 

[azubah]

We (Worzel) don't dig a trench.  "We" just make a hole with a trowel for each potato.

Our soil is a little heavy and I find too much hole digging with a trowel too hard on the wrists. ..and all that crouching does not suit me either. A spade seems like less work for me.

I don't find it hard on "my" wrists and I've bought a nice soft kneeler for Worzel.   

I need a Worzel

[Aunt Sally]

An "old boy" on our site uses one of these to plant his potatoes.

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Seed+Potatoes/Long+Handled+Bulb+and+Potato+Planter+574341.htm

[gazza975526570]

An "old boy" on our site uses one of these to plant his potatoes.

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Seed+Potatoes/Long+Handled+Bulb+and+Potato+Planter+574341.htm

I guess that could be really usefull if your struggling to bend down so much -must say i just make a bit of a hole and stick one in every so often down the rows!

[SkipRat]

An "old boy" on our site uses one of these to plant his potatoes.

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Seed+Potatoes/Long+Handled+Bulb+and+Potato+Planter+574341.htm

I guess that could be really usefull if your struggling to bend down so much -must say i just make a bit of a hole and stick one in every so often down the rows!

I have used one of those for the last two years its so much easier, I simply rotovate one of my raised beds with my Mantis tiller, use the bulb planter to go as deep as I can, throw a handfull of home made compost in the hole, then throw a spud in,then another hand full of compost on top of the spud , job done. When spud haulms are around 5 - 6 inch high i earth up with my azada. My crop is no better of no worse then the trench method, but is a whole lot easier.

[Paul Plots]

When it stops raining (and my sister can give up a few hours of her time to look after our elderly parents) I hope to dig the first of mine up to check the results so far. 

With very minimal watering:

So far I've lifted four plants and the results are great... plenty of them and a good size. Flavour is oh so much better than shop bought. Arran pilot is on the list again for next year.
All placed in the ground carefully the hard way: trench then hole dug with a trowel, covered up and earthed up 3 times....as the foxes kept having a little dig! 

[Vit]

What's gonna happened if you will plant spring variety of potatoes in the autumn and, opposite, autumn variety in the spring? Both of them will not meet frost, soil is normalized for potatoes.

[Nikkithefoot]

I've done very well with bunging in cow manure then planting. No watering for me this year and very,very dry until late June. My largest single new spud was 1lb 2oz, average yield so far from each plant 4lbs spuds(chitted and Jan until planting mid feb, earthed up as needed and fortunately no late frost) . Variety Vales Emeralds.

[sarajane]

We use the spade method. Remove 1 spade of soil, add a large trowel of manure, bung spud on top , cover and mound up and forget about them.  Dont normally water them but had to a couple of times in May when we had no rain.

Digging some lovely red duke of yorks at the moment and had some very good sized charlottes.

[Mr Rotavator]

When it stops raining (and my sister can give up a few hours of her time to look after our elderly parents) I hope to dig the first of mine up to check the results so far. 

With very minimal watering:

So far I've lifted four plants and the results are great... plenty of them and a good size. Flavour is oh so much better than shop bought. Arran pilot is on the list again for next year.
All placed in the ground carefully the hard way: trench then hole dug with a trowel, covered up and earthed up 3 times....as the foxes kept having a little dig! 

Arran Pilot is on my list again next year. Dug mine way back in May 

[Yorkie]

What's gonna happened if you will plant spring variety of potatoes in the autumn and, opposite, autumn variety in the spring? Both of them will not meet frost, soil is normalized for potatoes.

We don't really have spring and autumn varieties; it's often the same varieties just planted at different times of the year.  The ones planted in autumn tend to be restricted to the early varieties though.

I don't understand your comment about frost.  We get frost in the UK from about October / November onwards.  So the autumn planted potatoes are very much at risk.  That is why we always advise growing them in pots which can be protected and moved under cover when it gets cold.