Can I make my potatoes bigger.

[tweacle]

Hi there

I have just pulled up my maincrop spuds up from my tub and they seem small to me.

Im growing them in a container 30 inches wide and approx 2ft deep. Im using King Edward potatoes and planted approx 12 when I started. What im trying to do is get some jacket potato size.

Can anyone help. Have I planted too many spuds or am I using the wrong variety. Photo enclosed of all spuds I got.

Thanks

[DaveB]

Can't say I know to much about container growing, but did grow spuds commercially on the farm where I work for around 30 years. Given that we would plant on 30 inch rows and about 8 to 12 inches apart depending on size of seed I would say 12 in the container was way too many .
One variety we used to grow was Estima, lovely large round potato, great for baking Estima - Potato Council

[tweacle]

many thanks

[Digindeep]

Going only on this years harvest. Allowing for the late frosts just after usual sowing/planting time and therefore the obvious knock back in their growth, then the weeks of hot dry weather..as were my King Edwards this year ...very much smaller than in past seasons...knock back, lack of water..answers the question...as I understand growing in containers..2 maybe 3 per tub max. 12 tubers would at least need 4 containers if not 6, and plenty of water, thats what swells the tubers and to get the tubers to produce from the mother seed plenty of feed. Couple of inch of manure in the bottom of tub/bag couple of inch of soil/compost, plant seed potato..and earth up, whilst constantly watering as you go...Water and feed..equal bigger crop....

[tweacle]

Thats it then I didnt put any manure in the bottom. I used compost/sand/soil mixture and also think that it being wet is stopping growth cos soil get clumpy when wet. What type of manure cos I got chicken manure pellets and can I mix it up with the compost at the bottom or leave seperate.

Thanks

[Digindeep]

Horse or cow manure, chicken pellets are fine, you can also purchase a ballanced potato fertilizer...the tubers won't be that fussy...enjoy and happy planting....

[smithyveg]

Before planting your seed potato reduce the shoots to two by picking off the rest and cutting out the eye by gouging into the flesh. Leave the shoots at opposite wnds of the potato if you can.

You will get fewer potatoes but they should be bigger. Spread a good handul of potato fertiliser in the bottom of the container too.

This is the method show growers use.

Varities that can grow big are Winston, Bonnie and Maxine.

Smithyveg!

Smithyveg!