First spuds bagged

I planted 24 bags of Winston spuds last weekend in large flexible polypots. Using sieved compost the idea is to grow your spuds in a sterile growing medium with added nutrients so that the potatoes come out clean as a whistle with no scab. I put a couple of inches of compost in the bag and then a handful of both Vitax Q4 and calcified seaweed, and give it all a good stir.



A couple more inches of compost is put on top of this and the seed spud placed into this layer.



The bags are filled with more compost and then planted into trenches into which I worked some manure. On top of this I gave a good scattering of slug pellets. Soil is drawn around the outside of the bags to keep them in place. And that's about it. As the compost sinks I'll top up until no more can fit in the bags, by which time the haulms should be up.

This method worked very well for me last season. I believe by putting the nutrients below the seed spud, as the new tubers swell their skins don't come into contact with it and you don't risk marking the skins. The roots will use up the feed and then work through the bottom of the bag and into the manure outside the bag. Winston takes about 12 weeks to grow to maturity, and as it is a variety that can grow very large I didn't bother rubbing off any shoots.

For spuds that are shy to grow very large I will reduce to 2 shoots. Maxine is an example of one I find hard to get decent size on. I will also put a handful and a half of the two feeds. Not very scientific I know but you have to do what works for you.


Meanwhile, my experiment to get some spuds for a July show is progressing slowly. The foliage is up but doesn't seem to be growing very quickly. I'm bringing these pots in and out of the greenhouse depending on the weather forecast, and it is a bit of a ball-ache.