I've bought some seed spuds, now what?

johngalway

redser7 wrote: »

Lucky sod, what a beautiful spot, nice photos. Don't forget to give your spuds a nice feed of tomato fertiliser once the flowers come, really helps them bulk up. Something I learned from early spuds in the tunnel this year.

They got some yesterday

johngalway

What's happened here then? Friend reckons it could be wind damage?

johngalway

Progress so far, maincrop have started springing up to the right. I think the rain we've got in the last few days has done them the world of good.

dfbemt

I have to say a big thank you John for keeping us all updated on your progress. It's great to look back over the whole thread and see where you are now in comparison to where you started from. I can taste those lovely creamy spuds already.

Are you growing anything else other than spuds?

johngalway

dfbemt wrote: »

I have to say a big thank you John for keeping us all updated on your progress. It's great to look back over the whole thread and see where you are now in comparison to where you started from. I can taste those lovely creamy spuds already.

Are you growing anything else other than spuds?

Thanks df

I'm not really sure off the top of my head. I had planned to, and have bought many packets of seeds But, that's all they are at the moment and I could well be too late to do much of anything.

I started my little patch way too late, other work then had to be prioritised.

johngalway

dfbemt wrote: »

Are you growing anything else other than spuds?

I threw in three varieties of carrot, spring onions, early peas and snap peas this morning, chancing my arm, the rows of peas aren't far enough apart but that's what I had dug and hadn't time to go digging today.

We'll see what happens

fodda

johngalway wrote: »

I threw in three varieties of carrot, spring onions, early peas and snap peas this morning, chancing my arm, the rows of peas aren't far enough apart but that's what I had dug and hadn't time to go digging today.

We'll see what happens

You may not get carrot fly or onion fly because you are near the sea with the wind blowing on shore so blowing pests away most of the time.

As long as they are kept out of strong winds and well supported you will get great peas John (no manure) but then the huge explosion in Hares will come and chew through all your peas every morning because someone got rid of all the foxes :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Cardinal Richelieu

johngalway wrote: »

I threw in three varieties of carrot, spring onions, early peas and snap peas this morning, chancing my arm, the rows of peas aren't far enough apart but that's what I had dug and hadn't time to go digging today.

We'll see what happens

Your peas are going to need some support when they get established, I usually just recycle prunings from my blackcurrents rather than buying stakes.

johngalway

Lots of hares around, but I'll keep them out so not worried about them really. What I am thinking of doing is knocking up a little cloche tomorrow to put over them all. Foxes would only have come along and **** on my veg anyhow

As for support, yep I'll need something alright, haven't sorted that yet cos I was impulse planting today

fodda

Fence posts and chicken wire John and if you have a fair distance between the posts run some wire through the chicken wire at the top so it doesnt sag. Dont use that green plastic netting from garden shops.

johngalway

fodda wrote: »

Fence posts and chicken wire John and if you have a fair distance between the posts run some wire through the chicken wire at the top so it doesnt sag. Dont use that green plastic netting from garden shops.

I think I have some chicken wire from when I first made larsen traps. My uncle used to use sheep wire but methinks the chicken wire is better for the job.

This veg growing craic is becoming addictive.

fodda

johngalway wrote:

This veg growing craic is becoming addictive.

Mmm - yes but the midges kind of spoil it big time. :mad:

johngalway

fodda wrote: »

Mmm - yes but the midges kind of spoil it big time. :mad:

Yes, they're a curse at my place, I've tried most things from citronella oil to deet, I just head indoors now if they get proper unbearable.

johngalway

Put in some lettuce, spinach beet, beetroot and kale this morning, we'll see what happens

johngalway

Go away for a day or so and came back to some very sad looking spuds, wind beat the snot out of them, ho-hum. Have ordered some 2 meter high wind break mesh, closing the stable door after the horse has bolted I know.

fodda

johngalway wrote: »

Go away for a day or so and came back to some very sad looking spuds, wind beat the snot out of them, ho-hum. Have ordered some 2 meter high wind break mesh, closing the stable door after the horse has bolted I know.

Theres a lot going on underground dont worry they should bounce back.

johngalway

Ah yeah, some of them had flowered already, some had flowers on, and others weren't that far yet. I'm not going poking around underground for a little while yet. Looked like someone went through them with a hurl this morning

pog it

Hey John i'm going to be doing this next spring myself but on ground that hasn't been planted before so going to do some of the prep work later in the year.

Possibly a moot question but is there any reason why you didn't go with the ridges that were already on your site?

johngalway

I read about the drills in a book so thought I'd try them. Probably go with ridges for next year and see how they compare. The "existing" ridges hadn't been dug in decades, I'd never seen anything but grass there.

If you haven't done it before, start assembling your bits and pieces now. Start your digging a lot earlier than you think you should, I didn't and played catch up all Spring :rolleyes:

johngalway

I'm a bit concerned about what's in the photographs below, especially the discolouration on the stalks. I don't know if this is normal or not, or perhaps an after effect of the high winds they suffered (the stalks literally moved in the ground, plenty of branches broken), or disease?

blackbird99

for the midges use Avons skin so soft moisturiser, i've used it myself and it works at keeping them away, it's recommended by many hillwalking groups.

johngalway

blackbird99 wrote: »

for the midges use Avons skin so soft moisturiser, i've used it myself and it works at keeping them away, it's recommended by many hillwalking groups.

I've had three things on me at the one time, skin so soft was one, Jungle formula was another, and the third name always escapes me, comes in a small red and yellow bottle.

The midges still ate me I guess it's just one of those spots with the perfect habitat for them so the numbers are there to be a problem.

Note to self, build those bat boxes.

Mothman

johngalway wrote: »

I'm a bit concerned about what's in the photographs below, especially the discolouration on the stalks. I don't know if this is normal or not, or perhaps an after effect of the high winds they suffered (the stalks literally moved in the ground, plenty of branches broken), or disease?

I don't see any disease. There is the wind damage and the stalk colour is normal.

johngalway

Well that's certainly good news. This being my first year growing them I'm a bit jumpy about disease.

johngalway

Nom, nom, nom....

The small one is the size of a hens egg, boiled and devoured

johngalway

Dug two tops of each variety of early I planted. I'll leave them another while now, the first lot (the variety I sampled last night) are still a bit small, the others not so much! That's a No. 7 Opinel for scale.

Not sure what the craic is with the dark coloured spuds? Are they the seed spuds? I was told the seed spuds were meant to waste away and not be there come harvest but that might not be right?

johngalway

Problem, or not? White dots on me tubers! I think there were white dots on the stalks as well but can't quite remember.

johngalway

Done a little digging online (pardon the pun), I thinkt he white dots are called "lenticels" and act like pores for the spuds.

Cardinal Richelieu

johngalway wrote: »

Done a little digging online (pardon the pun), I thinkt he white dots are called "lenticels" and act like pores for the spuds.

Yes that's what they are, you can see them on apples too especially Granny Smiths. The picture of the spuds with your penknife is that the stag next your knife? The darker coloured spud.

johngalway

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

Yes that's what they are, you can see them on apples too especially Granny Smiths. The picture of the spuds with your penknife is that the stag next your knife? The darker coloured spud.

They're the seed spuds, the two darker ones in the bottom photo and the big dark spud bottom left in the photo above that.

They were hard and intact, I've since dug up others that have been mushy.