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Growing potatoes


mel b3
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Hiya guys .

Keeping one eye on the near future , I've decided that it might be a wise idea to grow a few potatoes.  I'm a complete none gardener , so could anyone give the the heads up , on the very easiest way to grow potatoes in pots please . Ideally I'd like to grow two bags worth of potatoes if possible. 

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4 minutes ago, Old farrier said:

Well 

would you be wanting

chip potatoes 

baking potatoes 

mashed potatoes 

roasting potatoes 

salad potatoes 

or early potatoes 

Well it looks like I've fallen at the first fence . I'll interrogate the screaming skull and be right back.

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If you’re growing in pots biggest you can manage 1/3 compost put in a potato cover with compost leaving 1/3 of pot at the top to earth them up as they grow 

or a strong black bin bag 3/4 full of compost put in a couple of seed potatoes cut the top and bottom out off a can or any biggish tube and cable tie (string) it into the top of the bag 

keep watering (don’t drown them) as they grow 

method 3 stack some old car tyres fill with compost (grow bags are sometimes cheaper) 

plant inside the tyres to earth up add another tyre to the top this method requires less water and is better in colder areas 

theres lots of other methods I’m sure they will be along shortly 

 

Edited by Old farrier
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If you have been eating any spuds that you like save a few of the smaller one's back, fill a pot or bucket or anything really as long as there's a drain hole one third full of compost place the spuds in and cover by around 3 inch of compost as the leaves start to come through keep covering them until your container is almost full. Keep them watered but not drenched and they will grow. 

I sometimes grow some late in the greenhouse and we have had some nice spuds around Christmas time. 

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Spuds are 'gross feeders' in that they need a lot of nutrient to grow successfully, particularly potash. Do your research on line for growing them on a small scale and there's bound to be loads of advice on here. A good fertiliser for them is 'Tomorite' liquid once they become established. Good old well rotted, farm yard manure in the growing medium is a fail safe and it would be impossible to use too much. Good luck and look out for aphids!

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Her good self said that we use potatoes for .

Chipping 

Boiling

roasting

Baking.

We rarely buy potatoes to be honest , as one of my farmer mates grows them . I just thought I'd hedge my bets this year , due to the crazy world events.

Can I just cut the end out of a bag of asda compost , and drop a seed potato in , and water it every day ?.

I've got a bag of horse manure that's been sitting in the garden for twelve months . Would I mix it in with the compost , or ,put some into a watering can and use it as a feed?.

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1) One word. But not a bird. Kestrel.

2) Buy proper seed potatoes. You may get lucky planting chitted past use date "tates" sold in supermarkets but it's not worth disappointment.

3) Commercial growers for the food trade grow varieties for big yield. You should grow varieties for flavour and pest and disease resistant.

Edited by enfieldspares
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Decent crash course on growing spuds so far I'd say, to start off with I put an old glazed window pane ( a greenhouse panel or whatever you can find that makes use of the suns rays ) of your tub/bucket leaving breathing space it warms the soil up a treat when it's still pretty cold outside

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SNAP!!!    I have not grow them for many years because with just the two of us not really worth the trouble and take up so much room in the small veg patch we now have. BUT  this year I have our plastic drums, the big ones and intend cutting the tops of about a third the way down, fill with a mix of FY manure and soil and compost and grow some earlies in those. I can put them down the orchard out of the way and see how they go.    Back in the fifties when my grandfather grew a lot of spuds commercially then the ground got a lathering of FY manure prior to ploughing and working. I intend putting in the seed potatoes about 4..5 inches deep and them adding compost so earthing the plants up as they grow.  A sprinkle of Growmore shouldn't hurt either.

I purchased my seed from my local Plant Nursery and they had a selection, first early through to main crop. All down to what acreage you are thinking of.

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2 hours ago, mel b3 said:

Thankyou very much gents , that should be enough to get me going .

Would anyone have a link to a potato seed supplier please .

B&M, Lidll, Aldi and failing that your local garden centre. It is getting a bit late for those places though because they usually sell them quite early in the year.

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11 minutes ago, Old farrier said:

I’m surprised that know one has mentioned 

the secret ritual and song well more chant really that should be used when accompanying the planting dance 

which is best performed at the night of the full moon 

I’m just wondering if I should have mentioned this 🤔🤭

Can I keep my clothes on this time ?.

6 minutes ago, 39TDS said:

B&M, Lidll, Aldi and failing that your local garden centre. It is getting a bit late for those places though because they usually sell them quite early in the year.

Thankyou very much sir 👍.

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Don't just rely on farm yard manure and compost for feeding. It isn't enough. Growmore is a very weak garden fertiliser and you need a lot of it in the mix of soil/fym/compost to feed the plant. Give them plenty of room to grow too, too close together and you end up with very small spuds. Buy the best seed you can find too, a decent garden centre will have what you want.

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Wilko are fairly good for seed potatoes, I'm growing pink fir apples, charlottes, marris peer, and mozart (red) ,also if I can find some Anya .

I'm going to grow some of the charlottes in those white builders rubble bags filled with a mixture rotted wood chips and pigeon muck buried in trenches ,this keeps the spuds clean and slug free and less watering.

 

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Yep, I forgot mention slugs. My grandfather used to spread what he called 'basic slag' heaven knows what it was but I know it hurt like hell in a cut on your hand. It was a type of fertilizer I know but I am certain that any slugs touching it would not be happy at all.  Back then Arran Pilot where the new spud  and still are a nice eating potato.

I just want some earlies for summer use.

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