Aug 30th, 2009
Potatoes for Christmas Day!
Fancy growing some new potatoes to enjoy with your Christmas turkey, then now is the time to plant them. Purchase some specially prepared seed potatoes, there are a lot of different ones out there but I favour Red Duke of York or Sharpes Express for flavour. You don’t need to chit (allow to sprout) these at this time of year, just get yourself a large pot or any strong black bag, alternatively purchase some of the special planting bags which are on the market, fill with any good compost, a bit of manure in the bottom does no harm, then push your tubers in about six inches deep, water, put in a sheltered spot and wait. Once they start growing keep watered if necessary and give an occassional feed of liquid seaweed. When it looks frosty put them inside, a greenhouse, shed or garage will suffice. Around October/November the haulm (leaves) will start to turn yellow. Cut these off and store the container in a frost free place until ready to harvest. There you have your new potatoes for Christmas dinner. Enjoy.
Very disappointed with the crop from second season potatoes.
It will be a very poor xmas dinner at our house this year.
I followed your instructions to the letter including an occasional liquid seaweed feed.
What a failure….won`t ever be buying from a show stall again.
Cost me over £20 for the bags, seed potatoes, compost and feed. Result 1 pound of potatoes too small to handle.
compensation?, surprise me!
Alan Brook, a visitor and customer at your stall in the Shepton Mallett Show.
Hi
Sorry you did not have success with the secondplanting potatoes, you have to realise that when you grow something it is not guaranteed to be a success, for every 50 people that get good results you always get one that has a problem, it can be down to watering, not enough sun, anything. Also please do not judge your failure as anything to do with buying from a show, it would not matter if you had brought from a garden centre or multiple, we all sell the same potatoes as there are only very few growers of these second planting varieties. Right, now we have to put things right. The bags and compost (assuming you still have them) can be used again for spring planting. We shall have the seed potatoes available from end of January. I will gladly replace the potatoes with some you can grow for harvesting in May as delicious New Potatoes. Let me have your address or if you are local please come and collect soem from one of our Potato Days.
Again apologies you did not have success but let’s try to at least get you a crop for the spring.
Regards
Chris
HI CHRIS I had a go at growing potatoes for Christmas and used potatoes found in bottom of fridge planting them in bags of compost at the beginning of sept . ALL WAS GOING WELL UNTIL FROSTS DESTROYED HAULMS IN NOV. I PROCEEDED TO HARVEST MY 4 ROOTS XMAS WEEK RESULTING IN APPROX 14OZ SMALL BUT SOLID SALAD POTATOES WHICH I STEAMED .THEY WERE TASTY AND NEXT YEAR I WILL HAVE ANOTHER GO BUT INTEND TO PUT THEM IN BETTER LIGHT CONDITIONS AND BE MORE WARY OF FROST FORCASTS. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE MALVERN SPRING SHOW REGARDS ANNE