Thursday was another pleasant spring day and although we didn't have a massive amount of sunshine the temperature managed a very pleasant 15.1°C.
The weather tempted me to plant our early potatoes. It’s a couple of weeks earlier than I’d normally plant them but over the last week the weather has been milder than we might expect for early April.
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| Temperature Chart Friday 04 April 2014 to Thursday 10 April 2014 |
For the last week the temperatures been above the 12°C expected at the beginning of April and I may have been lulled into a false sense of planting safety. Anyhow some of our first early potatoes Rocket and Casablanca are planted and will have to put up with whatever the weather throws at them.
This is the first time we've planted potatoes through weed control fabric. I wasn't too sure of the best method to use but settled for cutting a decent size hole at each planting location then planting the potato tuber with a trowel.
The fabric had already been laid in place last week. No string lines were required to line up the rows as the lines on the fabric could easily be used to both line up and space out the tubers.
On completion this is how the two rows of early potatoes look. The aim is that the shoots will emerge through the holes in the fabric. There are one or two issues I still have to finalise with this method. If shoots come through and a frost is forecast I won’t just be able to earth up some soil over the young shoots to protect them. I have some old straw used to protect our carrots over winter and I might keep that where it could be used as frost protection if needed. The other issue is how to lift the potatoes when they’re ready. It might have to be a similar technique to the one I've used for the leeks which is lifting and replacing the fabric from one edge. I might be jumping the gun of course as I don’t really know how the crop will perform grown under this fabric. Watch this space for updates.
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I suppose you could cut off the haulms of the potatoes you're going to dig up and then just roll the fabric back. Some people say that tradition dictates potatoes are planted on St. Patrick's Day, so I don't think you're too early in getting them out, as you say, it's just a case of watching for a frost.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about digging up our potatoes. I think main crop ones will be easy but a bit more care required when just lifting a root of earlies.
DeleteIsn't another issue that your providing a potato palace for the slugs?
ReplyDeleteI must admit that when we first used the fabric for growing our carrots I imagined it to be slug heaven under the fabric and expected lots of slug damaged carrots. Strangely that wasn't the case with damage no worse than normal. I thought that when I lifted the fabric there would be lots of slugs and snails clinging underneath or on top of the soil but that isn't the case. Maybe we've been lucky up to now.
DeleteI've been experimenting with covering the roots area with fabric to try to warm the soil up.I took the precaution of scattering slug pellets pre the cover up.
DeleteHad a peek under the covering and found lots of dead slugs ,so here's hoping I have at least dealt with the first flush of the season??
Actually the fabric seems to be insulating the soil and keeping it soaked rather than warming it up! So I might remove it and let the wind and sun do their bit.
I noticed today that under a piece of fabric laid last autumn that didn't have any slots or holes in it for planting through the soil was much wetter underneath. Under all the fabric with holes or slots cut in it for planting through the soil has been in much better condition. I think I'll cut slits at least in any fabric I put down in future.
DeleteI like the idea of planting potatoes through weed control fabric. I've planted mine in what I suspect will be a weedy spot, so I may have to do a lot of weeding as they grow. I've got some more weed control fabric to put down under the fruit bushes, to give them a better chance.
ReplyDeleteI'm still not entirely sure how potatoes will work through weed control fabric. I can't decide if I should plant some normally as a comparison or in case the fabric ones don't work. We have used fabric under fruit bushes and it's great at keeping the weeds at bay and the area looking much tidier.
DeleteMartyn, how will you earth up the haulms as they grow, or do you put the potatoes in so deep that you don't need to bother?
ReplyDeleteI'm not intending to do any earthing up. I may be wrong but the main reasons I usually earth up potatoes is to stop any getting exposed to daylight and turning green and it also keeps the weeds under control. My theory is that the potatoes will grow in the dark under the fabric and that there will be no need to weed with the fabric down. I might be proved wrong!
DeleteWe always plant our potatoes with a hand trowel so they are never planted very deep maybe around 6" or so.