Potato growing 2021

Got my PFA in a tray, they seem to be in no hurry to make shoots even in the porch, so I'm in not going to plant them for another couple of weeks, unless we suddenly get higher temperatures..

 

I've got 9 of those, still see the occasional one getting chucked out because the lid has broken, almost got another about a month ago put out with some 'free stuff' in a garden, but we were just setting out on a dog walk and it was gone when we returned.

Our council paid to have those ex-glass recyling boxes disposed of and missed a trick in giving them away to gardeners.

 

Bought some "white potatoes" from the local farm shop here in Lincolnshire, no variety indicated but they gave us the best roast potatoes we've ever had, golden and crispy outer and soft fluffy flesh inside. These spuds hadn't been washed.

Intrigued, I decided to investigate what variety they could be (staff at the farm shop didn't know). I've narrowed it down to a single variety "Sharpe's Express", an heirloom variety developed in Lincolnshire and commonly grown there, I will obviously be ordering seed potatoes for next season.

 

I've always been put off growing that variety as the packets of seeds potatoes appear to sow them infected with scab, not a good advert for them

 

First early, would they still be available to buy for eating at this time of the year.

 

Dropped and broke one of the second batch of potato cuttings and was surprised to see a tuber already forming

 

Forgot to cover my earlies on the allotment last night.
I went over there about 5.30am and they were white with ground frost.
I watered them and hope they have come through it ok.

 

Just looked at them, they seem fine, not a brown leaf in sight.

 

Mrs K expects me to grow fully graded New Potatoes too ... you know .. ."Like wot you get in the supermarket"

Not sure about the Melot though ...

 

By the by, I'm interested in the approach that some take of growing in large pots. Can start off early / indoors of course, but the main reason is "clean tubers". But the approach I'm referring to, and have never tried, is not to grow them "to harvest" in a stand alone pot, I've done that in both Pots and Bags, but rather as soon temperature OK then sink the pots into the Spuds-bed (1/3rd say ?) with the intention that they will root-through.

My Eco-side is uncomfortable with "importing" a lot more potting compost - big containers needed of course and lots of them for a "crop" rather than a few Early Jersey-Royal equivalents ... can reuse the compost of course, reinvigorated with BF&B or whatever, but I would be shy about mono-cropping spuds with the same compost ...

For someone with e.g. wireworm it may be the only answer. I have a reasonable amount of scab - maybe I could get better results, in pots, with either "compost heap", or leaf mould (but I treat that as a precious resource ) ... wood chip maybe, got plenty of that, the stuff that has been down on the paths for a few years and needing renewing might be worthwhile.