Potato experts - help needed!

[MaggieW]

My potatoes have arrived and are chitting nicely but now I'm a bit confused. I ordered a selection of earlies, main crop late maincrop etc so does that mean I plant them all the same time and then they just mature at different rates or do I need to stagger planting depending on the part of the season they are for. Advice gratefully received!!!

[LGoodLife]

Plant them all at the same time, now if you put them deep enough (8 inches?), protect the green tops if a sudden frost is forecast as they are not hardy. I use an old blanket or sheet of plastic, but remember to take it off the next morning.
Earth up when the tops are 6 inches or so, this encourages heavier crop and also stops spuds going green (green spuds are poisonous). You can mulch with manure or grass clippings etc once earthed up to conserve water. About june time, scrabble around the base of an early and fish out a couple of spuds to check to size - saves digging up a whole plant if their not ready. Most are ready when flowers appear.

Btw, I don't bother chitting, but the old duffers at my allotments swear by it.

Also watch out for blight - mold on leave which can appear overnight if a damp summer. leaves and stems must be burnt, as they will drop spores to earth and all your spuds will be useless.

Enjoy!!!

[snorkle]

Yes they mature at different rates (or are harvested at different stages of maturity) - late maincrop takes around 20 weeks (from planting to harvest), early maincrop about 15 weeks; second earlies about 13 weeks and first earlies can be as little as 8 weeks (usually 10 weeks).

There's an argument that says you should plant the lates first so they have the whole season to mature (which they need) and the earlies late, so they don't come up too quickly & get hit by a late frost. In practice they all go in around the same time - first week in April usually for me. You can plant earlies anytime - if you plant in August you can get a crop for xmas, but people usually try to get them in fairly early so you get spuds as fast as possible (ideally when they're still expensive in the shops).

[LGoodLife]

Self-setters which accidentally get left in from last year's crop always mature first and seem to survive the winter uncared-for!

[snorkle]

I supose the self-setters (volunteers, I think they are called) are usually quite small and/or fairly deep in order to be missed and so survive OK?

[MaggieW]

Thanks for that LGL and Snorkle. I know what you mean LGL re chitting - I can't ever remember my Dad doing it before he planted them. I guess having spent a bit of money on them, and being my first crop, I don't want to ruin any chance of success!

What does the blight you're talking about look like - is it dark patches on the foliage as don't want to miss it if it strikes.

Thanks again.

[LGoodLife]

Blight is what caused the Irish potato famine - commercial growers use sprays to stop it but it can wipe out your crop in days. It starts as brown spots on leaves, usually after warm wet weather, then within days all the tops are wilting, then it will pass down to the tubers and turn them rotten from the inside. As soon as you see blight on leaves, take them off and burn them, you can leave the spuds in the ground below for a couple of weeks longer if its very early. One year I got no lates at all because the blight was so bad. It can even lay dormant in what look like healthy potatoes which are then turned to stinking mush when you go to get a bag out of storage in winter. Find a friendly local gardener to help you.