How to Grow Potatoes

There are three types of potatoes; first earlies, second earlies and maincrop.

First earlies provide new potatoes suitable for salads second earlies fill in the gap between the first earlies and the main crop. Main Crop can be used straight from the ground or can be stored for use over Winter.

Potatoes are produced from seed potatoes which should be from certified virus free plants and ideally the size of a hen’s egg. Before planting they should be chitted to produce small, strong shoots.

Chitting: Place the seed potatoes in egg boxes or seed trays, eyed end up, and keep in a light, frost-free room for about six weeks to allow the shoots to develop.

Plant as detailed below. When the stems are about 9ins tall pile loose earth up around the stems to leave a couple of inches above the soil. Keep earthing-up, a little at a time, until the stems stop growing. This earthing-up helps to stop the potatoes going green.

Ensure that the crop are kept well watered during dry weather and to avoid problems next year ensure the whole crop is removed from the soil.

Potato Click here for Potato Troubles
There are three varieties of potatoes; first earlies, second earlies and maincrop. First earlies provide new potatoes suitable for salads second earlies fill in the gap between the first earlies and the main crop. Main Crop can be used straight from the ground or can be stored for use over Winter. Potatoes are produced from seed potatoes which should be from certified virus free plants and ideally the size of a hen’s egg. Before planting they should be chitted to produce small, strong shoots. Chitting: Place the seed potatoes in egg boxes or seed trays, eyed end up, and keep in a light, frost-free room for about six weeks to allow the shoots to develop. Plant as detailed below. When the stems are about 9ins tall pile loose earth up around the stems to leave a couple of inches above the soil. Keep earthing-up, a little at a time, until the stems stop growing. This earthing-up helps to stop the potatoes going green. Ensure that the crop are kept well watered during dry weather and to avoid problems next year ensure the whole crop is removed from the soil.
Sowing Time	Planting Time	Soil	Spacing	Cutting / Lifting Time	Storage	Cooking
First Earlies e.g. Foremost, Rocket, Home Guard, Maris Bard
n/a	Late March	Can be grown in any soil preferably in a sunny spot. Dig in the Autumn and add manure or compost. Never add lime. Don’t grow on land where potatoes have been grown within past two seasons.	Plant each seed potato 12ins apart in rows 24ins apart.	Lift once flowers are fully open; usually June or July.	Should not be stored, lift when small and treat as new potatoes.	New potatoes should be washed, not peeled, and boiled for 12 mins.
Second Earlies e.g. Charlotte, Anya, Maris Peer, Wilja
n/a	Early-mid April	Can be grown in any soil preferably in a sunny spot. Dig in the Autumn and add manure or compost. Never add lime. Don’t grow on land where potatoes have been grown within past two seasons.	Plant each seed potato 12ins apart in rows 24ins apart.	Lift once flowers are fully open; usually July or August	Should not be stored, lift when small and treat as new potatoes.	New potatoes should be washed, not peeled, and boiled for 12 mins.
Maincrop e.g. Maris Piper, King Edward, Desiree, Pink Fir Apple
n/a	Mid-late April	Can be grown in any soil preferably in a sunny spot. Dig in the Autumn and add manure or compost. Never add lime. Don’t grow on land where potatoes have been grown within past two seasons.	Plant each seed potato 15ins apart in rows 30ins apart.	Wait until the stems have withered. Cut stems to the ground, wait 10 days and lift. Usually ready August to eat immediately or leave until September or early October before storing.	Leave to dry out then place in a wooden box and leave in a frost-free shed until needed. They should last until Spring.	Scrubbed or scraped, cut into chunks and cooked for 15-20 mins. Parboil for 5 mins before roasting for 45 mins.

 

 

Potato Troubles
Trouble	Symptoms	Treatment	Prevention
Aphid	Plant infested with greenfly.	Spray at first sign of attack	None
Blackleg	Blackened stems at and below ground level. Leaves turn yellow and wilt.	None	Do not plant soft or rotten seed tubers and don’t cut tubers
Capsid Bug	Small brown spots in leaves, later turn into holes	Spray if attack is bad, will not affect yield	None
Common Scab	Ragged-edged scurfy patches. Only on the skin, the flesh is not affected.	None	Buy healthy seed tubers. Do not Lime.
Dry Rot	Shrunken area with white pustules occur during storage.	None	Rotate crops. Ensure tubers are sound before storing and handle carefully.
Frost	Black stems or yellow patches on leaves	None	Cover if frost is expected
Gapping	Seed potatoes do not develop shoots	None	Buy healthy seed tubers and ensure they are kept in a frost-free location
Gangrene	Dark brown depressions on the surface of the tuber	None	Store only sound tubers and keep air and frost-free
Hollow Heart	Hollow centre of tubers	None	Keep well watered during dry spells
Leaf Roll Virus	Leaves are rolled upwards and become hard and brittle	None	Buy healthy seed tubers. Spray to control the virus-carrying aphids.
Mosaic Virus	Yellow or pale green mottling over the surface of the leaf	None	Buy healthy seed tubers. Spray to control the virus-carrying aphids.
Magnesium Deficiency	Yellowing between the veins of the leaves which turns brown and brittle. Stunted growth.	Apply MultiTonic and spray with Fillip	Feed regularly during the growing season using a fertiliser with magnesium
Potato Blight	Brown patches on the leaves with white mould on the underside of each spot. Can destroy all the foliage. grey patches below the skin.	None	Buy healthy seed tubers. Spray with Dithane in July and repeat every fortnight if the weather is damp. Keep earthed up.
Potato Cyst Eelworm	Weak and stunted plants. Small tubers produced	None	Rotate crops. Don’t grow potatoes or tomatoes on infected land for at least six years
Powdery Scab	Round patches with raised margins on the skin.	None	Rotate crops
Rosy Rustic Moth	Hollow stems causing plants to die down early	None	None
Splitting	Deep cracks on surface of tubers	None	Do not store. Keep plants well watered during dry spells.
Slugs	Large holes in the tubers	None	Don’t add too much manure and lift tubers as soon as they mature. Keep the area free of rubbish.
Spraing	Curved lines in the flesh	None	Rotate crops
Soft Rot	Soft, evil-smelling flesh	None	Store only sound tubers and keep dry
Spindly Sprouts	Thin shoots	Stand tubers in a light cool place	Buy healthy seed tubers and ensure they are sprouted in a light, frost-free location.
Soft Tubers	Soft and rubbery tubers	None	Water well during drought conditions
Wireworm	Orange, shiny larvae produce tunnels in the flesh of tubers	None	Rake Chlorophos into the soil before planting and lift tubers as soon as they are mature.
Wart Disease	Black warty outgrowths on tubers	None	Only plant immune varieties on infected land

 

Now is an ideal time to prevent damage caused by Chafer Grubs

Chafer grubs are the larvae of the chafer beetle.

They can cause problems on any grassed area including lawns by feeding on the roots of grass plants.

The adults range from 9 to 39 mm in length and have different coloured heads and wings cases. The adults emerge between the end of May and July depending on the weather conditions in spring. They may feed on shrubs and trees before laying the eggs into grassed areas.

Larvae hatch about 2 weeks later and begin to feed on grass roots until late September when they move deeper into the soil where they pass the winter. The larvae have white bodies curved in letter C shape, light brown heads, with 3 pairs of legs.When the larvae are small they do not cause much damage to grass unless they are in very high numbers. As they grow bigger, they cause more damage.

Symptoms may appear as straw-coloured weak areas of grass, where the roots have been damaged. In most cases the larvae are discovered when birds or mammals, such as badgers or foxes, begin to rip up areas of the turf looking for the grubs. They are a protein filled delicacy to birds and mammals, which can destroy large areas when looking for them.

It is very difficult to prevent chafer larvae being laid into the lawn. Females prefer moist conditions and so the lawn should not be watered if adults are seen. However, where larvae are present the lawn should be kept well watered to try and counteract the grass from dying through drought due to a weaker root system. In most cases all that can be done is to employ bird and mammal deterrents and tidy up any damage caused.

The larvae can be controlled by removing them by hand or applying a biological nematode, such as Rolawn Chafer Grub Killer, which can be applied from late July until October. Rolawn Chafer Grub killer is specific to the pest concerned therefore safe for the user, children, pets, wildlife and the environment. Click here for further information and to order online from Rolawn Direct.

We have cabbage whitefly

We have cabbage whitefly on the Brussels sprouts at the allotment!

Here’s what the RHS has to say about what it is and how to treat it:

Cabbage whitefly is a sap-feeding insect that can infest cabbage and all other types of leafy brassica.

The symptoms to look out for are white-winged insects about 1.5mm long which fly up in clouds from the underside of brassica leaves when disturbed, flat, oval, whitish-green scale-like nymphs are attached to the lower leaf surface and black or greenish-grey sooty moulds can develop on the upper leaf surface on the sticky honeydew excreted by this pest.

Whitefly causes little damage so there isn’t too much to worry about but if you want to treat it an  organic pesticide can be sprayed onto the lower leaf surfaces include, try Vitax Organic 2 in 1 Pest and Disease Control or Scotts Bug Clear for Fruit & Veg. Or for chemical control you can use Bayer Sprayday Greenfly Killer All-In-One or Westland Plant Rescue Fruit & Vegetable Bug Killer.

Gardening Articles

Do you love your garden but not sure of the best way to prune your clematis, propagate plants for next year, make the best of your lawn or produce good quality compost?

If so then take a look at our gardening articles which we are sure will be useful to you. These articles are aimed at beginners and are written in the most simplistic way possible but if you require personal advice you can complete our Advice Form and we will email our response as quickly as possible.

• Aquatic Gardening, Ponds and Aquatic Plants
• Building Projects in the Garden
• Butterflies
• Composting in the Garden and the Kitchen
• Cut Flowers; Growing and Care
• Flowers and Plants
• Fruit and Vegetables
• Garden Birds and Wildlife
• Garden Maintenance Tasks
• Gardening for Children
• Green Gardening
• Greenhouse Gardening
• Lawn Care and Maintenance
• Outdoor Living
• Pests and Diseases
• Poisonous Plants
• Pruning
• Safety in the Garden
• Soil and Soil Improvement
• Types of Plants
• Weeds

The Top Ten Garden Pests

According to the RHS the following are the top ten garden pests in the UK. Click on the links at the end to find out more from the pages of the Royal Horticultural Society:

Slugs and snails tend to be the number one problem in our gardens. Most damage happens during Spring and Autumn when seedlings, vegetables and ornamental plants are destroyed. More on slugs and snails.

Harlequin Ladybird is a foreign ladybird and was unknown in Britain until 2004. Since then it has spread quickly throughout the UK eating native laybirds and other aphid predators as it goes. It is of some benefit to gardeners as it eats greenfly and other aphids.

Lily Beetles eat the leaves of both lillies and fritillaries causing severe defoliation. More on lily beetle.

Vine Weevils eat notches out of the leaves of a wide range of herbaceous plants and shrubs. The larvae feed on plant roots ultimately killing the plant. Vine Weevils especially attack plants grown in pots and containers. More on vine weevil.

Chafer Grubs are the larvae of a number of chafer beetles. They mostly cause damage in lawns where the grubs eat the roots of the grass. A lot of damage is also caused when animals such as foxes and crows rip up turf to feed on the grubs. More on chafer grubs.

Viburnum Beetle larvae damage foliage of Viburnums during May and June. The adult beetles eat the leaves in late summer.

Pear Leaf Blister Mite is a microscopic mite which lives inside the foliage of pear trees. They cause pink or green blisters on the foliage during Spring and by mid-Summer the affected parts of the leaves turn black.

Ants cause very little direct damage to plants but the action of excavating their nests can cause a problem in lawns, flower beds and patios. They are most common in sunny gardens with well drained soils. More on ants.

Rabbits eat the foliage of many low-growing plants and vegetables. They can also damage the bark of trees. More on rabbits.

Capsid Bugs suck sap from the shoots and flower buds of a wide range of herbaceous plants and shrubs causing leaves and flowers to emerge distorted. More on capsid bugs.

Links: Pest and Disease Control

Disease Control, Pest Control, Ultrasonic Dog, Cat, Mouse and Rat Chasers, Insect, mole and mosquito repellers

Electronic Pest Repeller
Protect your home or workplace from pests with our electronic pest repeller.

Why do I get a lot of leaves but few flowers in my garden?

Question:

Why do I get a lot of leaves but few flowers in my garden? The water supply is good and there is (I think) a good amount of sunlight, and I regularly mulch with compost. Can you suggest anything?

Answer:

Lack of flowering can be caused by a few things:

• Lack of feed: during the growing season you should be feeding your garden and containers about once a fortnight. A general fertiliser will be fine for most plants, if you have any acid lovers such as azaleas or camellias then use an ericaceous feed.

• Lack of water: although your garden may look OK it is surprising how quickly plants can dry out, particularly in containers. You should water your containers regularly regardless of rain and if you have a long dry spell you should give the soil plants a bit of a watering too. Lack of water when plants are in bud can cause the buds to die and therefore not produce flowers.

• Frost: if your plants get affected by frost whilst in bud then, again, the buds will die off before they have a chance to flower. Early flowers such as camellias are particularly susceptible to this.

• Pot Bound: if you have container plants you need to re-pot these every 2-3 years into a bigger pot with new compost and some feed.

• Dead heading, the removal of spent flowers, will prolong the flowering season.

• Mulching is great so continue to do this in autumn but remember to feed from mid spring through to late summer.

• Pests: some insect and birds love flower buds so they may be getting eaten before they get a chance to flower.

• Lack of sun can reduce flowering so the sunnier the better but a lot of sun will also dry out plants quickly so keep an eye on them.

• Flower size and length of flowering: not all plants have showy flowers so they may have flowered and you haven’t noticed, also some only flower for a short time so, again, they may have been missed

Caring for China Doll Plant (Radermachera sinica)

Question:

I have this extremely leggy and tall China Doll plant. The tops are taller than I am and the “bottoms” are leafless. If I cut it down will I get new growth from the bottom again or will I kill the plant.

Answer:

China Doll (Radermachera sinica) is fairly new as a house plant and can be quite fussy and difficult to grow.

It needs lots of bright light but not direct sunlight so it is best on a north or east facing windowsill. They also prefer a constant temperature of between 65 and 75 degrees away from drafts. Once you have found a place it likes leave it there as they hate to be moved around. These plants often drop their leaves for many reasons including a changes in light or temperature, irregular watering, pests and repotting. If is best to keep this plant pot bound and to prune it regularly to keep the size in check. Water regularly but don’t over water and don’t allow it to dry out completely.

The first thing you need to establish is that the stem is alive; you can do this by gently rubbing your thumbnail over the surface of the stem, if it is green underneath then it is alive, if it is brown and the stem is brittle then I’m afraid it has died. Do this test up the length of the stem to find if, and where it is dead. If it is green to the tip then all is not lost.

The next step is to cut it back to about half it’s current size, it will then begin to grow again from this point. Let it gain some height and prune it every few months to keep it healthy but to allow some slow growth.

Once this is done then follow the care rules above and it should be OK from now on.

Something is pulling up our Lawn

Question:

Something is pulling our grass up by the roots and leaving it looking a mess. it is happening in the middle of the lawn and we can’t find a trail of anything. This is happening during the night; they are only small patches but we won’t have any lawn left soon.

Answer:

It sounds like it may be birds; starlings are known to tear out tufts of grass whilst searching for grubs such as leatherjackets and chafer grubs.

You may not see any other symptoms but there could be patches of poorly growing, yellowing grass and if you check below the surface you may find the grubs feeding on the grass roots. These pests can be easily and safely controlled by applying a suitable nematode based product. Rolawn Direct sell the nematodes but you may also find them at your local garden centre. For more information click on the links. Rolawn Chafer Grub Killer should be applied from mid-July through to late October and the best of year to apply Rolawn Leatherjacket Killer is from August through to late October. So it is very good timing.

Aquatic Gardening

There are several points you need to consider before building your pond or water feature. Should it be formal or informal, natural or modern? Do you want to keep fish, grow plants or attract wildlife? Are there children to keep safe?

Once you have answered these questions you need to decide where you want to site the pond or water feature. A pond should be kept away from big trees and shrubs so ensure their roots don’t puncture the lining. If you want to keep fish you need to have a pretty deep pond to stop it freezing over the winter. The smallest you should build a pond is 60cm (2ft) deep and 1 x 1.5m (3 x 5ft) across. However, the bigger the better.

If childrens’ safety is and issue or you prefer not to have to maintain a pond then a water feature is an excellent compromise. You could build a wall fountain or a pebble pool which can be sited in sun or shade near to a power supply. If you do not have external power then a wide plant container or half a barrel, without drainage holes, is ideal. You can still grow small aquatic plants or use floating oxygenators such as water hyacinth. You will need to protect them during winter or empty the container and start again in the spring.

For more about aquatic gardening visit these articles: Build a Garden Pond and Pond Plants

Blueberry Problems

Question:
We have two blueberry bushes about 3 yrs old which we moved from pots into garden last year. They are in fruit but all the leaves have been eaten? On odd remaining ones there is what looks like a yellow mildew.Can you advise if fruit once ripened is fit to eat and also what the problem is.

Answer:
Blueberries are often pest and disease free, but can occasionally suffer from powdery mildew and vine weevil. Click on the links to find out more from the RHS Advice Centre. Here is also a link to find out more about blueberries in general.

It is also worth noting that they prefer an acid soil so it would be as well to test the soil around the planting area and if it is not acidic enough perhaps consider putting them back into their pots:

I would say that the fruits will be fine once they ripen but if you have sprayed the plant make sure you wash them well.

Cordyline Drying Out

Question:
I’ve just got back from holiday to find that my cordyline red star has unexpectedly dried up. Everybody else’s in the close seems to be doing well. What could have gone wrong? Is there any way I can salvage the plant?

Answer:
I’m sorry to hear about your Cordyline. I think we need to establish whether the plant has dried up because the ground dried out or because it has been affected by a pest or disease. Is the soil around the plant dry and if so how far down is it dry? If the soil is damp a few inches down then the plant could be infected which has caused it to shrivel. Have a look around the leaves and the surrounding soil and let me know if you find any evidence of pests or diseases and I’ll investigate further.

In the meantime I would give it a good drink of water and a sprinkling of fertiliser. Add a couple of inches of well rotted manure around the base to help keep the moisture in.

Pest on Beans

Question:

I have white grubs about 5mm long eating my beans and other roots the ground has been grass for many years what can I do please

Answer:

I would need a little more information to correctly identify the grub in question. Alternatively, here is a link to the BBC’s pest identifier. Just answer the questions as they appear and it should find the grub. http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/pests_and_diseases/