Early Dunluce Potatoes

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Hi! as I cannot find the original posting I have started a new one!


Planted my first lot of earlies yesterday 16th February in a large wooden framed cloche.
The glass had been in place since early December to keep the soil warm and not to get waterlogged either!

The variety were Dunluce and they were potted up singularly in pots with some peat, on the 19th January!
Meldyn Williams idea!

The had made lots of roots and had started to sprout from below in the peat, so it was time to plant.

The soil which had garden compost and stable manure added in December and had been turned over since was very workable.
I gave a sprinkling of Growmore as well when planting.

Cheers for now!

 

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Have finished planting all potato seed today, earlies, some second earlies and main crop.

Just in time for the supposed rain tomorrow.

No sign yet of the Dunluce planted last month.

It's great to see the end of the winter! ( famous last words)

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Why do people plant early potatoes, well, EARLY?:hehe:

 

I dont grow earlies, but I've not planted anything yet, I dont use a soil thermometer, but I bet the soil temps are well down at the moment.
Not seen many weed seeds germinating yet.

 

WHAT! no chickweed?

I always plant some earlies in my wooden cloche and some more at a later date in the Geoff Hamilton style poly tunnel, this gives them enough protection to whithstand any late frosts.

This year (becauseof global warming) it has been so cold for so long, at the first blink of some sunshine I could not keep away from my plot, as I was fed up not being able to get on and do any planting etc, so in went all of the potatoes.

And the soil was very workable for a change!

Cheers!

 

I've only sown some "Early Nantes" carrots outside in a raised bed so far, still waiting for the soil to dry out a bit more....

My greenhouse however is bursting with seedlings waiting to go out! :D

 

Hi!

Sowing the seed is and germinating it is the easy bit, but what to do once they need pricking out and planting on?

I am in the same boat as you, every year never enough room for every plant etc!

It is much too cold here to think of putting anything out yet.

Have some early peas in pots, but will plant them in a cloche when they grow a bit taller!

Cheers!

 

Dunluce potatoes update!

The foilage on the earlies in the wooden frame under glass, got hit by frost on Monday night as well as all the others, earlies and maincrop growing outside.
Those under glass only had the parts frosted, that had touched the glass, those outside got smacked proper.

But they will recover!

Cheers!

 

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Latest!

Dug my first Dunluce potatoes yesterday, not as large as I had hoped, sized between a golf and tennis ball and not many off them.

They cooked well, new potato taste if a little watery, but went great with my first Hipsi cabbage as well!


All's right with the world when you can dig your own!:D

:gnthb:

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