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Ray and Fiona Rank attained: Hazel Tree

Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Posts: 36 Location: Greystones, Co. Wicklow
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:23 am Post subject: Potatoes for Christmas |
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I bought some Lord Edwards yesterday for planting now and harvesting in December.
My question is that I have just harvested a main crop of potatoes from my raised beds so can I use the same bed now as it is the same season or do I need to rotate the raised beds?
Thanks in advance,
Ray. |
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Good guy Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood
Joined: 11 Feb 2013 Posts: 2593 Location: Donegal
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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I've copied this from the RHS website:
How to grow potatoes indoors for Christmas harvests
Use a container at least 30cm (12in) deep and wide, with drainage holes in the base (specialist potato-growing containers are also available)
Add a layer of potting compost or garden soil mixed with garden compost or well-rotted manure. A layer 10cm (4in) thick is sufficient for 30cm (12in) deep pots, but larger containers can be half-filled
Plant one to three tubers per pot, each with about 30cm (12in) of space, and cover with 15cm (6in) of compost or soil
As the foliage develops, earth up the potatoes with further compost or soil until the container is full to within 5cm (2in) of the top. Leave a lip to aid watering
Keep well-watered and feed with a general-purpose liquid fertiliser
Ensure the greenhouse remains frost-free as the season progresses, as potato foliage would be damaged by frost
The foliage will yellow and die down in late autumn and can then be removed and composted
Tubers can be left in their pots in compost (kept fairly dry) until needed at Christmas
How to grow potatoes outdoors for Christmas harvests
Follow instructions for growing potatoes, including planting them in a trench and earthing them up as they begin to grow
Take measures to protect against potato blight and slugs
Once foliage dies down in September or October, remove and compost it
On light soils in a sheltered garden, piling some earth up over the row where you know the potatoes are and covering it with straw to insulate tubers may be sufficient protection to store them in the ground until Christmas
In cold areas, or where soils are wet and heavy, it is better to lift tubers by the end of October and re-bury them in coarse sand or soil in a frost-free place (such as a garden shed) until you need them
Lifting and storing potatoes in the fridge, or in bags in a cool shed, is possible but will cause the skins to harden and the desirable, delicate ‘new-potato’ flavour and texture will be lost. |
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Ray and Fiona Rank attained: Hazel Tree

Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Posts: 36 Location: Greystones, Co. Wicklow
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you for that.
Regards,
Ray. |
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