Potato growing 2021

Yes hard frosts are usually after christmas, so if you can get something to avoid ground frost you might get away with it, even if the tops do get caught I doubt it will damage the new tubers.

 

Digging my second earlys, not the best crop but had blight on one lot so removed the stems, second lot looks like it also may have blight

 

I've never had blight on my potatoes but I'm seeing some this year, I just hope the pink firs dont get it, I can get the Kidney and Nicola out the ground if I have to but the PFA are only half done now.

 

Good luck with your pink firs. They are lovely but very susceptible to blight I found out , the hard way!.I reluctantly gave up growing them for that very reason and grow Anya instead. They are a cross with pink fir, 2nd early and as such much less likely to suffer from blight. So far after maybe 6 years of growing Anya only once did they get a touch of blight. Another bonus is you can happily leave them in situ way into the autumn and they still taste pretty much like new potatoes.

 

Must have been growing PFA for 20 odd years now, and never had blight.

I don't normally grow earlier spuds, but I am this year.
I'm just hoping that the wet summer combined with the very sappy growth on the earlies doesn't spread it.

The toms are showing signs of blight and a right off, never seen blight on toms in July before, mostly late August at the earliest.

 

I've grown Setanta for the first time this year and they're healthier potatoes than anything else being grown, not a yellow leaf or a single spot of early blight on them, and they haven't been sprayed with Bordeaux mixture.

Might spray 50% of them for comparison.

 

Just sprayed all mine with copper.,just in case.
According to the forecast things are not going to get any better.

 

Just dug up only 2 of my Anya plants. My god a super bumper crop. I cannot believe how many potatoes I have got. This must be due to a huge amount of manure I put on the bed
last autumn, lots of warm sunshine in comparison to many a summer up here in Scotland and I watered a lot having had virtually no rain since the middle of June. Not a sign of blight so delighted about that.
I planted a bag ( 1kg?)of Anya seed potatoes so will be still eating them at Christmas if the first 2 plants lifted are to go by.

 

They look good, might have to give them a try next year.

 

Certainly Pete, Anya are a very very good alternative to PFA.I have grown them for about 6 years and never had a disappointing crop. They are great for making potato salad and don’t break up when boiled.

 

Setanta maincrop seed potatoes mature in 125-140 days and, if planted in late April, can be harvested by mid August.

I 'planted' mine undercover during early April in deep rose pots filled with MPC to give them a head start before planting in open ground weeks later.

Might dig one up to check how they're doing, not even a sign of earlyblight on them.

 

I'm in Fife and growing a few varieties this year. International kidneys (which are just about finished - not had great yields but they taste good as new tatties).
Vivaldi - moving on to digging up a plant or two shortly, I'm hoping they are good if grown on a bit for baking, I read they were but we will see.
Yetholm Gypsies - again a bit of an experiment as never grown these.
A few Blue Danube's that I kept from last year
Pink Fir Apples
A couple of rows of Roosters (I like the flavour of them)
Some Shetland Blacks that I got from my folks (up in Shetland) but these are not the same as the seed you buy - they are a very late potato, nearly round with deep eyes but they are very good to eat - best not to peel though.
No blight here so far but am probably going to start spraying just in case. Slugs are the biggest issue for me.

And forgot that I also have a row of myan gold growing, which I like for roast potatoes or chips.

I was trying to find Kepplestone Kidneys as my folks used to grow them but they havent got any now - I couldn't find them anywhere. Does anyone know of a supplier?

Jimmy

 

JWK - I honestly can't remember what its called. Its a powder I got from my father a few years back. I just mix up about a teaspoon to a couple of litres and spray it on. I haven't used it this year yet as I don't like to use it near the early tatties that am eating. After spraying I don't dig any up to eat for a fortnight. We have been lucky where we are as no sign of blight but I dont want to push my luck. Blightwatch service isn't working now either.
I am getting slug damage already so have ordered some nematodes as last year the slugs got more of our late tatties than we did.

I've extended the vegetable plot this year and am trying a bit of it as no-dig. Its been great as we are on heavy clay.