A Gardeners Forum
Posted By: markr New potatoes for xmas - October 9th, 2006 at 10:09 PM
Ive just been looking through some seed catalouges, and found that there selling seed potatoes to put in the ground about now, so you can have new potatoes around xmas.
ive just brought some spuds home, and im thinking about planting some in buckets.
and putting them in the greenhouse.
has anyone tried this yet?
Posted By: ChristinaC Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 10th, 2006 at 07:39 AM
I haven't. wink laugh
Posted By: ChristinaC Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 10th, 2006 at 07:40 AM
Seriously though...good luck, and let us how it turns out. thumbup
Posted By: badplanter Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 10th, 2006 at 07:53 AM
I've never Tried it Mark, but good luck with them!

How large are the buckets?
If they're too small, I don't think they'll be able to grow...
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 10th, 2006 at 08:51 AM
I'll bet it would work if the buckets are large enough and you use that tire method we've read about in this forum.
Can't hurt to try and might be fun !
Remember, just some good butter and a sprinkle of salt ! grinnnn
Posted By: markr Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 11th, 2006 at 05:20 AM
If it rains tommorow, im in the greenhouse then!
ive got some Arron pilot with sprouts on, and some buckets thumbup
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 11th, 2006 at 05:26 AM
It'll be fun - and keep us posted !
Posted By: markr Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 11th, 2006 at 06:01 AM
just hope it doesnt freeze to hard wink
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 11th, 2006 at 09:19 AM
Will the greenhouse be warm enough?
I wonder if you could surround the buckets with straw or even a blanket or something?
Posted By: SpringFever_dup1 Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 11th, 2006 at 06:22 PM
Sounds Good let us know how it turns out!! thumbup
Posted By: penny in ontario Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 11th, 2006 at 08:12 PM
Cant wait to hear how it turns out!! thumbup
Posted By: markr Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 12th, 2006 at 04:31 AM
yes the greenhouse will be warm enough, ive got a heater in there wink
im not going to use it unless it freezes hard though!
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 12th, 2006 at 04:50 AM
Oh ! LOL ! I didn't know they're heated ! You must have had a good laugh at the blanket and straw suggestion ! shocked laugh
Posted By: markr Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 12th, 2006 at 06:04 AM
No i didnt wink
you wasnt to know i had a heated greenhouse!
ive often been out there late at night with the news papers, just to tuck em in at night grinnnn
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 12th, 2006 at 08:18 AM
LOL !
Are you growing flowers or anything else in the greenhouse? Lettuces?
Just thought of something - my ex-husband lives in Derbyshire. Do you know where that is?
Posted By: markr Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 13th, 2006 at 05:44 AM
all ive got in the greenhouse is toms, peppers, and cucumbers.
there all starting to come to an end,
once there gone i usualy leave it empty until feb, then it all starts again....

ive been to derby a few times for auctions, not been for about ten years though!
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 13th, 2006 at 06:44 AM
Thanks for answering about Derbyshire. Over here, the word looks as though it would be pronounced "Dur - bee - shy - ur".
But I was told that it is correctly said "DAR - buh - sheer".
Right or wrong? (I'm Californian and do not speak English). laugh laugh
Posted By: markr Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 14th, 2006 at 04:00 AM
Try Dar bee sheer
say it loud! laugh wink
thats why english is so hard to learn, the person who invented it had no idea how to spell lala
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: New potatoes for xmas - October 14th, 2006 at 06:45 AM
Thanks ! Good one !
You do realize of course that your English American cousins do not speak our mother tongue.... laugh
Posted By: reba Re: New potatoes for xmas - November 13th, 2006 at 01:09 AM
The trick to growing potato's in a bucket is the soil.I recommend soilless compost (it is the lightest stuff I have available to me and does not compact).If you use regular soil,it will get rock hard after a few waterings.I grow stuff in big tree buckets all the time and I have over 60 foot of windowboxes,so I have to be up on my container gardening.I can go out and stick my hand in under the plant and steal new potato's with no effort,the soil is so loose.
Posted By: cookinmom Re: New potatoes for xmas - November 14th, 2006 at 01:38 AM
Hey Mark,
I saw a thing in an organic gardening book once, where they planted potato slips in nothing but straw, in trash cans. When it was time to harvest, they just tipped the whole thing upside down and picked out the 'taters!
Your bucket thing might work the same way!
Posted By: glenda Re: New potatoes for xmas - November 14th, 2006 at 05:09 AM
Hi Mark,
Two years ago I had a go at xmas spuds,I used buckets and planted them deep, used polystyrene and newspaper.I didnt get a massive crop, but I did eat home grown spuds on Christmas Day.Good Luck let me know how they grow. thumbup
Posted By: markr Re: New potatoes for xmas - November 14th, 2006 at 06:52 AM
Glenda, i didnt get them in, wish i had because the greenhouse is empty now.
Posted By: reba Re: New potatoes for xmas - November 14th, 2006 at 09:37 PM
You can raise potato's in straw but mice may move in also. kit You can start the potato's (let them green up and then carefully cut up without breaking the emerging stems) if you want to still try it.I think they call it chitting.
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