Trenching potatoes, your having a laugh?
We just set out a string line and then use a 5' length of scaffold pole to make a hole about 6" deep into the soil. Holes are made every 12" for first earlies and every 14-16" for maincrop varieties. A seed potato is then just dropped into the hole, chitted end up and the bed raked over to fill the holes.
The potatoes shown are a first early variety called pentland javelin, we normally grow foremost as a first early but are having a change this year. They have gone in a bit early but the top growth, when it pops through the soil, will be covered over as we earth them up giving some frost protection. Hopefully we will be eating these from Mid June.
2 comments:
That's interesting, I might try that. I had given up digging a trench years ago, I just dig a hole with a trowel. I'm going to plant my Jersey Royals (sorry International Kidney!!) on Good Friday this week, I have just the tool for the job!
Not far from they way I plant mine - I use a bulb planter. Digging trenches is just too much like hard work!
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