THE TATTIES THREAD 2018

I'm off to my local 'potato day' this weekend where some local NVS potato growing experts attend, so if anybody has got some potato related questions I'll try and get them answered (I try and devise new and increasingly difficult questions for them every year ).

 

Chittin Chicken is doing a grand job

 

Yer Zigs, is that an Elddis?

 

He'm be a Swift, carries more coconuts

 

Last of the tiddies. One looks like it was nibbled underground, I suspect moles

 

Moles are carnivores, I suspect rodents.

 

They might have teenagers.

 

Adrian?

 

It's still a bit chilly in my polytunnels to start off my early spuds in 30L pots (to be moved outside when risk of frosts has passed), so I've started them off in 15x cell modules, so I've only got 3 seed trays of rooting spuds to keep frost free, rather than 15 x 30L pots. I take a cell when buying them an select tubers that will fit.

Before filling with MPC

 

Thanks to the recent dry-ish weather I've managed to complete all rotovating very early. Normally this early spring job is done between rain events here in Cumbria, and is still being done end of next month.

Thanks to that all my spuds are now in. That's in the ground, in buckets in the tunnel and single eye cuttings potted up ready for planting in other containers. I'm a good week early getting spuds done this year as I always complete that last days of March.

Steve...

 

My plots are a quagmire and it'll be weeks before anything can be planted or sown in open ground. Even the paths between them are like ditches. Below freezing temperatures expected on Monday.

 

11 Charlotte, 12 Blue Belle and 12 Casablanca planted in pots. If planted in open ground they would drown. Some years ago when it was this wet delayed planting as long as I could, but 90% of ghem diedin the ground. I'm going to need some more potting compost.

 

I've planted up six bags (so far) but turned over the tops to stop the rain getting in.

 

Chittin chicken is still nesting

 

Do you put grass cuttings in the bag?