Sunny Days and Potato Planting
14April 6, 2013 by Hannah
The sun has been blazing down for the last couple of days, so although it is still cool enough in the evenings, it was collectively deemed that the potatoes could finally be planted out. By ‘collectively deemed’, I of course mean that I put all the seed potatoes in a barrow with a shovel and a line and waylaid some unwitting help.
Maris Pipers, British Queens and the unlucky red stockinged feet of the ‘unwitting help’.
Our potato patch is located down the fields in a dryish part of bog which we had rotavated by a friendly neighbour. Monty Don says to plant each seed potato about 1 foot apart, and to have each drill about 3 feet apart. We did try to stick to these guidelines but there may be a few tell tale wobbles in the drills when the spuds start to sprout.
Drill No. 4
The good natured help and I stuck it out in the sunshine until all the seed potatoes were planted, and then tucked into a hearty late lunch. Fingers crossed come July we should have our own home grown potatoes!
Potager Pottering and Crime 
Be sure to dig up some while they are small! Do you make creamed new potatoes and peas?
Creamed potatoes and peas? I’ve never heard of it, do you mash potatoes and garden peas together?
Here’s one recipe.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/creamed-garden-potatoes-and-peas
Thanks! I’ll put it to good use.
Lucky you having plenty of space, and help! I plant mine a foot apart but only about two feet between rows. I put the first lot in yesterday.
Creamed new potatoes and peas sounds delicious! xx
I promise you, plenty of space brings plenty of trouble too!
I put my first row in yesterday too! At last!!! I warmed my potato bed up first with some plastic poly tunnels but I still think it’s pretty cold out there. They’re just going to have to toughen up and get on with it this year though 😉 It was lovely and sunny, two full days gardening was just brilliant 🙂 Really happy to hear I’m not alone with my spuds and you’ve got yours planted too!
It’ll be great when they start peaking up from the ground!
Mine are in too, glad that job is over and done with!
Me too! Just have to rise to them now.
OK, now I feel guilty. My spuds are still snuggled up for warmth and chitting merrily together. Actually, I had forgotten all about them until I read this post (with all this cold weather I have somehow convinced myself that it’s still January). Now I know what I’ll be up to on Saturday morning…
I probably would have left it awhile longer, but I had my potatoes chitting in a shed outside and saw some tell tale nibble marks in them!
Goodness me, what a HUGE space for the spuds! You should harvest enough to stock a supermarket. I look forward to seeing your progress.xxx
Thanks, we are ardent spud fans!