Potatoes in Planters

The Potty Gardener

The time has come, I can no longer tolerate their mischievous presence on my kitchen window sill. If they have eyes on stalks that grow by the day who knows what else they might develop? I certainly cannot risk the possibility that they may someday be able to talk and expose my fifty shades of green lifestyle! So the potatoes are going under….well some of them anyway, the rest have been relegated to the windowsill at the back of the larder to chit behind a closed door. Grandpa Haxnicks advised that I shouldn’t sow them all at once unless I want to harvest them all at once and have a glut of potatoes, and then I would have to eat them all at once and have a gut full of potatoes and end up looking like a potato, not one of my ambitions, so I will sow one planter at a time.

Job done. I chose the 4 seed potatoes with the most prying eyes, about 2.5cm long and buried (I think the kinder word is planted) them in a potato planter on top of 10cm and under 5cm of multi- purpose compost. When their prying shoots appear through the soil I will bury them further!

EasyFleece Tunnels warming the soil

I went to visit Grandpa Haxnicks this week hoping for a cup of tea and some gardening gossip (mostly vegetable based rivalry with his neighbour), only to be put to work preparing some of his raised vegetable beds for the growing season ahead. We removed all the weeds, dug it over and then put out some EasyFleece tunnels to help warm the soil presumably so that he can get his growing season well under way before Mr Perfect Parsnips next door.

Seed potatoes and Spring cleaning

The Potty Gardener

There are some peculiar brown, wrinkly things lurking on my kitchen windowsill. They may be small and silent but rather alarmingly they seem to be growing poisonous eyes on stalks! Grandpa Haxnicks assures me that they can’t see me (I have my doubts), but I am relieved to know that in a few weeks I can safely bury them out of sight. If they continue to grow and possibly reproduce I am told that it is quite reasonable at some stage to dig them up, boil them alive and eat them (shhh maybe they have ears too).

These chitting seed potatoes, sporting the racy names of ‘Swift’, ‘Rocket’, and ‘Red duke of York’ promise to give a good summer crop and I’m told are ideal for growing in planters. Who gets to choose potato names I wonder, because if these little chitters don’t live up to their names I shall be offering to rename them (shhh maybe they have ears too)? If my potty ramblings haven’t satisfied your curiosity about growing potatoes in planters then have a look at  Haxnicks Potato Planters .

Anyway, as well as keeping a careful eye on those potato eyes I have gathered some pots, planters and grow bags ready to create my self-contained garden. Grandpa Haxnicks has kindly delivered some goodies and I have scrubbed up some old pots. I have also cleaned up and cleaned out the greenhouse and green it was, every pane coated in verdant mould, so I scrubbed the glass with a vinegar solution which apparently made me smell like an old gherkin. Lovely!

The next stage in my plan is carrots, Amsterdam Forcing Carrots to be precise. I also wonder who names the carrots? They sound even more imposing than the potatoes, why not something gentler like Nether Wallop Nudging or Trumpton Tender? Any more suggestions…..?

Potato growing contest - 2nd update

As we enter the 3rd week of our potato growing contest, this prolonged cold snap is preventing many of us from getting out in the garden and planting our potatoes.

Those of us who planted their seed potatoes a few weeks ago when it looked like Spring had arrived now have their fingers crossed that they've not got frosted - the temperature has certainly been low enough most nights. There's no sign of growth or green shoots!

 

Jo's potatoes chitting in an egg box on the kitchen windowsill

On the other hand, some of us were late taking our planters, compost and seeds home and so haven't had a snow free day to plant ours yet, which means that we have taken the opportunity to chit them. So despite being a few weeks after the others planting them, we might produce a better crop in the long run.....we'll see.


As well as seed potatoes, we also all had a packet of sunflower seeds to see who can grow the tallest sunflower in a Haxnicks Potato Patio Planter (there were 3 in a pack and we only needed 1 for the potatoes!). Hannah planted hers in a Haxnicks Rootrainer propagator and is very pleased to report one small shoot already! 

Hannah planted her sunflower seeds in a Haxnicks Rootrainer

Potato growing contest - 1st update

One by one, we're all planting our seed potatoes in our Haxnicks Potato Planters for the Smart Solar challenge to see who can produce the most potatoes. We all started with identical bags of compost and seed potatoes and a pack of Haxnicks Potato Planters.

First job was to plant them up, some of us with a little help from our pets! MD Jonathan Stobart planted his watched by his two labradors and Sarah's dog was also an interested observer as she was getting her hands dirty planting her seed potatoes.

MD Jonathan has an audience!

Bruno poses with Sarah's Haxnicks Potato Planter

Emma is disappointed that there's no sign of growth yet in her planter, but it's been a bit chilly this week with the recent arctic weather and her seed potatoes have only been in the soil a few days - more patience is required!

Hannah, Charlotte and Jo are lagging behind and still have to take their kits home to plant up - a job for the weekend (after the rugby!).

More news next week!

Spring is in the air

Spring is in the air, throw open the windows! We should be out in the garden getting some fresh air and exercise. There is plenty to do from clearing winter debris - twigs on the ground and hedge cutting - as it is time to smarten up your gardens and get ready for planting very soon.

Jobs to do:

Sow seeds inside: such as aubergines, brussels sprouts, celery, cucumber, fennel, kale, lettuces, melons, nasturtiums, marigolds, peas, rocket and tomatoes – if you haven’t  already.

You can begin to sow seeds outside too but to be on the safe side I would cover them with cloches to give them a better chance. You can sow, onion sets, parsnips, potatoes (if they are chitted), spinach, rhubarb(crowns) and strawberry plants.

Chit your seed potatoes: this means place each seed potato separately onto a tray or in egg boxes and leave them somewhere cool and light. They must be kept away from any chance of a frost. You will notice that in a couple of weeks they will start to sprout shoots, when this happens you can plant them out into the ground.

Get your beds ready: Remember in order not to ‘do your back in’ only do the tiring jobs for twenty minutes at a time, such as digging. I have dug mine and added loads of manure and compost to raise the height of the bed, as last year it was so water logged and everything drowned. I am determined to give everything a better chance this year. Positive thinking. So digging an adding compost/manure are things that need to be done over the next couple of weeks.