Potato Growing 2024

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by JWK, Jan 1, 2024.

  1. john558

    john558 Total Gardener

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    I picked a few Arran Pilot first early Potatoes and they are the size of baking Potatoes.
    Why are they so big even when the tops have not died down...
    Would the wrong seed Potatoes been packaged in the factory? Help please
     
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    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

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      First earlies do keep growing big if you leave them, mine are coming up jacket sized now. The wet weather has helped swell them more than previous years.
       
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      • john558

        john558 Total Gardener

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        Thanks for that JWK
         
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        • burnie

          burnie Total Gardener

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          Just lifted the first Sharpes Express, a good kilo from one plant, just right for two of us for dinner.
           
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          • JWK

            JWK Gardener Staff Member

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            Picked more Winston first early today, one is football sized, appropriate for today
            20240714_100326.jpg

            20240714_100411.jpg

            763 grams is 1.6 lbs, enough to feed three of us at dinner tonight
             
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            • Hanglow

              Hanglow Super Gardener

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              I wonder what farmers would do with those, they must get some like that. Sold to make dried potato or potato starch etc?

              I've got some baking sized ones from my first earlies and I still have a third of them in the ground and they are still growing. Hopefully I'll have a couple that size!
               
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              • john558

                john558 Total Gardener

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                This is what I found in a Potato bag. 0.jpg
                 
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                • pete

                  pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                  A potato, seems reasonable, the 50p piece is more unusual. :biggrin:
                   
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                  • john558

                    john558 Total Gardener

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                    Good one Pete:yay:
                     
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                    • Obelix-Vendée

                      Obelix-Vendée Head Gardener

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                      Have just dug up my first potatoes - Dolreine. One plant, 1547g.

                      240722 first potatoes.jpg

                      Never grown them before so flavour unknown but we'll find out tonight.
                       
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                      • hamesy

                        hamesy Gardener

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                        I only planted first and second early potatoes this year. Dug my first earlies up a few weeks ago and dug my second earlies up over the weekend.

                        My first early potatoes were terrible. My second earlies though, really happy with those.
                         
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                        • Cordy

                          Cordy Super Gardener

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                          We fancy planting now in 30 litre plastic pots, a few seed potatoes for Christmas harvest.

                          We like the flavour of Marfona - Second Early/Main Crop. will that variety be OK ?

                          Also we have not found a supplier. The mail-order suppliers so far found will only take orders for delivery next year.
                          Does anyone know of a supplier for dispatching now ?
                          Any help/advice much appreciated
                          John
                           
                        • pete

                          pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                          You quite often see small bags of seed potatoes in garden centres around now or a bit later specifically for your purpose.
                          I found an old Jersey Royal with shoots a couple of days ago, I've put it in a pot.:biggrin:
                           
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                          • Hanglow

                            Hanglow Super Gardener

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                            Dobbies are selling them at the moment. I got wilja to try a couple of pots
                             
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                            • Michael Hewett

                              Michael Hewett Total Gardener

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                              All my tubs of potatoes seemed to have got blight and I'd given up on them.
                              However when I went to empty the tubs of compost, to use it for planting up some shrubs, I discovered I had a nice lot of potatoes anyway - not as many as I usually get but it's better than nothing, and it was a nice surprise too :smile:
                               
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