potato, early, second early etc etc

timecharger,
I have planted old shop spuds and got a decent crop.
But since then I have been told I was very silly as there is a good chance of desease which will stop you growing them for years after.

 

If it helps, I grew potatoes for the first time last year. I did not have my potato bed ready until well after easter so my potatoes were in late, but I didn't harvest them until late october/early november. They were fine, so although it is probably not ideal planting late, it didn't do me any harm.

If you are stuck for space, why don't you plant your earlies in containers (I used tyres 3 high and filled them up with compost and soil as they grew) and your maincrop in the ground.

Good Luck

 

Azadaman, and Timecharger - following on the shop-bought spud line..... if you're doing it in a container, you avoid that possible problem, don't you? After all, it's fresh compost every time. I always spread my used compost over the rest of the garden, so it's unlikely that any disease would be a problem, since it's not concentrated in any one area.