Christmas Potatoes

[sleepyowl]

I would like to grow some spuds for Christmas have I left it too late? If not which varieties are best?

[Pumpkin&Piglet]

Sorry, I can't help but I'd like to jump onto your thread so I can follow and do similar!

[diggernotdreamer]

I think you are too late now, they need to be planted by the end of July or beginning of August at the latest. I usually set aside a few earlies and leave them in the sun until they start sprouting again and then replant, I have had spuds for christmas and leave them in the ground and you can often still find a few that are edible into the first few months of the new year.

[Odsox]

Not exactly Christmas potatoes, although there will still hopefully be some left, but these should start during the latter half of October.
Now that the nights are cooler they might just steer clear of blight.
They are Maris Peer and were planted in the tunnel on the 1st of August.

Spuds.jpg (116.95 KiB) Viewed 6002 times

[seasidegirl]

These look amazing Odsox. I'm really surprised they do so well in the heat of an August polytunnel. How much and often do you water them?

[Odsox]

I have overhead sprinklers in the tunnel which I turn on for exactly(ish) 2 hours at a time, and it gets switched on whenever I think it needs it, probably about once every 10 days in sunny weather.

The reason I'm growing them (and so many) is that for various reasons I didn't grow any maincrop this year and recently had to BUY a bag of somebody else's from a supermarket, which totally goes against the grain

[sleepyowl]

thanks will know that for next year, what would be the best varieties to use?

[Odsox]

Any first early variety would be best as they bulk up quickly and are more able to grow in less than ideal temperatures.
As a rule of thumb, you can normally start to dig spring planted earlies in 12 weeks from planting chitted seed, but late autumn would probably need 16 weeks or more depending on the temperatures.

[seasidegirl]

Nice. Be good to see how many you get.