On Jan 5, 12:36*pm, Baz wrote:
I thought that before buying this year I would ask 2 Q's about first
earlies and maincrop.

1/ Does small seed potato mean small crop? By small seed size I mean pigeon
egg size or smaller, and large seed size I mean chickens egg or larger. *

2/ In the UK. which is the earliest first early cropping variety you have
grown?

I intend to grow:
Swift,(first early) purely because I have read they are THE first early.
Arran Pilot,(first early) for their beautiful taste.
Pentland Javelin,(first early) taste, size and cropping, though a later
crop.
Maris Piper,(main crop) I like these because thet crop well and are so
versitile in boiling, baking, chipping and keep well.

I haven't mentioned disease resistence and have had scab with the P.J. and
M.P. last year. Could be due to watering?

This year I am planting area 8m by 6m (big area to me) so I would like to
hear any views/ criticism or general help.

Thanks
Baz * * *

What happens is this.
You plant all your potatos at whatever time you deem fit. (A seperate
topic)You can dig the "earlies" up sooner than the "main" crop.
The earlies have fewer potatoes but they form sooner than the main
crop.
If you were to dig up the main crop early, there would be lots of
little potatoes.

The main point being you don't plant the earlies early. You get a crop
of decent sized potatoes early. But less of them then main crop
varieties.

Same applies with seconds for an intermediate crop.

The traditional time for planting out was Good Friday but his is
********.

You can sprout them indoors in a cool light frost free place which
allegedly gives them a start over unsprouted.

No lime. Light soils are best. hoe up to cover developing spuds.

Watch out for blight, your main enemy(Warm damp weather June or July.
Ask e appearance of early symptoms. Can be sprayed if caught early. If
not, dig up before the blight spreads from leaves to tubers.
That's it.