Kitchen Garden Forum

I've mentioned this before, I know, but was pleased to hear that Bob Flowerdew does exactly the same. The subject came up on last weekend's Gardeners' Question Time and he has been planting his own saved seed potatoes in November and described planting them quite deeply. You don't get as early a crop as ones pre chitted but they do fine. Just don't plant them in a place that gets waterlogged.

I've been doing this for years now with my favourite varieties, some of which are difficult to obtain. I do replace some occasionally if the crop seems to have lost its vigour, but most of them are still going strong after at least ten years. My pet varieties are Highland Burgundy Red, Salad Blue, Forty fold, Orion Kestrel and Sarpo Axona. I just need to buy some new Charlotte for next year. I did notice that Thompson & Morgan had obtained some of the coloured ones a couple of years ago. I got mine originally as micro propagated little plants from Alan Romans so they were well worth the investment.

Interesting PP.

Do they get any slug problems & do you line the planting hole with anything? Is the crop bigger seeing as they are more deeply planted? Last question (well maybe depending on the other answers), when are they harvested - how much later than the chatted ones?

Very interested as chitting potatoes takes up quite a bit of space, however I do find I get a better crop if I do chit but they be co-incidental & weather dependent year to year.

Westi

I dig a spade depth trench, fill the bottom withhome made compost, mix in a sprinkle of blood fish and bone or grow more and a helping of slug pellets. Then sit the potatoes on this. I then fill it in making a good mound on top like when you earth them up and firm the sides a bit. If it's very cold I sometimes put straw on top, but I dont think it is essential.

The crop is perhaps a bit less than chitted ones and a bit later as they stay dormant until the weather warms up. But if you save your own seed every year it is much better than trying to keep them in good condition until spring when they've started to sprout and shrivel, and if you plant them in November when there is less to do you've saved yourself a job in spring when everything needs doing at once.

Do you ever have blight problems ?

Blight is said to need living host matter to survive, so leaving potatoes in the ground overwinter - either deliberately or volunteers, is a risk. Presumably seed potatoes are grown where the environment doesn't favour blight ?

I was quite annoyed a few years ago to hear commercial potato growers trying to imply that blight was bad in part due to amateur gardeners doing the organic bit and not spraying for blight (Quite what we could spray with is another issue). Seeing the quantity of overwintered tubers missed by commercial lifting, which grow as volunteers in following years, there is little doubt to me where their problem lies.

Thank you PP!

Weather permitting I am going to try that out this weekend. Was thinking if I covered the rows in black membrane that I used for some temporary paths this year it would keep the soil beneath looser than if left exposed & it would insulate & keep it slighter warmer which would be a win/win when they started growing. Would also help with weeds in early spring.

Will keep you posted! Thanks again!

Westi

We must be very lucky as we rarely get blight and I've never sprayed for it. I think some outdoor tomatoes got it one year but I can't remember the last time it affected the potatoes. I do make sure that the potatoes I save are in good condition and completely disease free.

Good luck with that Westi, it will keep the cats and blackbirds off too. Don't forget to check and remove it when they start coming through.

Does 'November planting' count if I still have a couple of rows I've not got around to digging up .....

Pawty wrote:Does 'November planting' count if I still have a couple of rows I've not got around to digging up .....

Huh, only a couple?

PLUMPUDDING wrote:We must be very lucky as we rarely get blight and I've never sprayed for it. I think some outdoor tomatoes got it one year but I can't remember the last time it affected the potatoes. I do make sure that the potatoes I save are in good condition and completely disease free.

That's lucky - I have pretty much given up on growing tomatoes outdoors, they always get blight. The potatoes often get early blight, which isn't too bad. This year was the first I had late blight, but I rescued my crop in time.

Just noticed where you are PP - I am originally from Chapeltown not far from you, and my old Dad still gardens there. He doesn't seem to have much blight trouble either, but he's always complaining about the rain.

You were almost a local then Tony. I think it's a bit colder here than Chapeltown, but glad your dad doesn't have blight problems in his garden either. Pouring with rain at the moment but it's been a nice sunny day.

Got my potatoes planted yesterday - a bit later than usual.

Sheffieldites for the win although I'm not going to start on blades vs owls
Or the ice hockey, since I'm originally from Nottingham and with the current steelers vs panthers game

Hah - watched MK Lightening, our local team play Sheffield Steeldogs last weekend. Quietly supported Steeldogs - they won on sudden death penalties.

Sorry. I digress...

Hi, I've just dug up a few of the left over charlottes - they looked amazing (not even slug damage). However, my husband roasted them and they were really watery? Not had that before. Any thoughts?

Can you do anything with watery potatoes?

Many thanks

Paula

I think the best thing to do with these types of watery potatoes is to let them cook down as a thickener in soup - ie leek and potatoes on its own or perhaps grated i to other mixed veg soups . They're never very palatable served boiled. I don't know whether it's worth trying bake them in the oven as jacket potatoes. That might drive some of the excess moisture out of them.

Hello Pawty
Charlotte is really a salad potato and won't roast very well.
Potatoes for roasting need to be dug and then bagged for at least several months before roasting. As you have found out their water content is too high for successful roasting if freshly dug.
Try mashing them.
John