Having asked for and taken on board the recommendations of several
urglers here, I finally settled on Estima, Kestrel and Charlotte.
I doubted if I would be able to get them all at the gc, but very pleased
to say I've managed to get them all:~).

All I want now is some reasonable weather so they don't get frosted.
Asking a lot, I know. I shall be chitting them first, as usual, which
well delay them getting into the garden. Probably just as well.

Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Spider wrote:
Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?

We totally failed to go to the Hampshire Potato Day for the 2nd year
running, so we've not even ordered or bought any yet. :-/

On 01/02/2013 18:05, wrote:
wrote:
Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?

We totally failed to go to the Hampshire Potato Day for the 2nd year
running, so we've not even ordered or bought any yet. :-/



Oh that is a shame! You must put it in next year's diary. Fortunately,
I found an astonishingly good selection. I think if you start looking
early enough, you'll get what you want. Which varieties are you after?

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

In message , Spider
writes
Having asked for and taken on board the recommendations of several
urglers here, I finally settled on Estima, Kestrel and Charlotte.
I doubted if I would be able to get them all at the gc, but very
pleased to say I've managed to get them all:~).

All I want now is some reasonable weather so they don't get frosted.
Asking a lot, I know. I shall be chitting them first, as usual, which
well delay them getting into the garden. Probably just as well.

Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?

It's a long time since I grew spuds.

These are what I've got on order: First Earlies Sharpes Express, Second
Earlies Anya, Maincrop Sarpo Axona. Nothing has arrived yet. (Two out of
three of those were chosen having been advised by an allotment neighbour
that blight is very much present.)

--
Simon

12) The Second Rule of Expectations
An EXPECTATION is a Premeditated resentment.

Spider wrote:
Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?

We totally failed to go to the Hampshire Potato Day for the 2nd year
running, so we've not even ordered or bought any yet. :-/

Oh that is a shame! You must put it in next year's diary. Fortunately,
I found an astonishingly good selection. I think if you start looking
early enough, you'll get what you want. Which varieties are you after?

Oh, it wasn't really a diary clash or forgetfulness, but we were at a
wedding on the Thursday up in Chesterfield, and after driving all the
way up and all the way down again, and all the warnings of serious snow
(that never turned into anything down here - although apparently my parents
got the hugest snow they've ever had!), I just couldn't be bothered with
it. Nick and Daniel both wanted to go, but I just wasn't up for it.
And they wouldn't go without me.

On 01/02/2013 22:13, wrote:
wrote:
Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?

We totally failed to go to the Hampshire Potato Day for the 2nd year
running, so we've not even ordered or bought any yet. :-/

Oh that is a shame! You must put it in next year's diary. Fortunately,
I found an astonishingly good selection. I think if you start looking
early enough, you'll get what you want. Which varieties are you after?

Oh, it wasn't really a diary clash or forgetfulness, but we were at a
wedding on the Thursday up in Chesterfield, and after driving all the
way up and all the way down again, and all the warnings of serious snow
(that never turned into anything down here - although apparently my parents
got the hugest snow they've ever had!), I just couldn't be bothered with
it. Nick and Daniel both wanted to go, but I just wasn't up for it.
And they wouldn't go without me.



Well, I hope it was a good wedding. No doubt the spuddy show will be on
again next year, so you haven't missed your chance.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 01/02/2013 22:22, Martin wrote:
On 1 Feb 2013 18:05:05 wrote:

wrote:
Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?

We totally failed to go to the Hampshire Potato Day for the 2nd year
running, so we've not even ordered or bought any yet. :-/

We plant our Estima around the beginning of April.



I'm hoping to start mine a bit sooner than that, although I confess I
haven't read the destructions on the packaging yet. Mine won't be going
in the ground, so I don't have to wait for the soil to warm up, although
I do have to protect against frost. I've got a piece of carpet for that
job.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 01/02/2013 19:16, usenet2012 wrote:
In message , Spider
writes
Having asked for and taken on board the recommendations of several
urglers here, I finally settled on Estima, Kestrel and Charlotte.
I doubted if I would be able to get them all at the gc, but very
pleased to say I've managed to get them all:~).

All I want now is some reasonable weather so they don't get frosted.
Asking a lot, I know. I shall be chitting them first, as usual, which
well delay them getting into the garden. Probably just as well.

Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?

It's a long time since I grew spuds.

These are what I've got on order: First Earlies Sharpes Express, Second
Earlies Anya, Maincrop Sarpo Axona. Nothing has arrived yet. (Two out of
three of those were chosen having been advised by an allotment neighbour
that blight is very much present.)



Do let us all know how you get on with your selection, both in
cultivation and taste. I may well repeat one of this year's favourites
if there's an obvious winner, but like to try a new one each year.

I believe you're in Kent. Is that on clay? It would be interesting to
compare notes.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

"Spider" wrote

Having asked for and taken on board the recommendations of several urglers
here, I finally settled on Estima, Kestrel and Charlotte.
I doubted if I would be able to get them all at the gc, but very pleased to
say I've managed to get them all:~).

All I want now is some reasonable weather so they don't get frosted. Asking
a lot, I know. I shall be chitting them first, as usual, which well delay
them getting into the garden. Probably just as well.

Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?


We have ordered some from T & M, 3 Sarpo varieties which unsurprisingly
still haven't arrived!!
Bought some Apache from a GC.
and got some at the Hampshire Potato Day...
Rocket
Amandine
Kestrel
Rooster
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 02/02/2013 08:05, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Spider" wrote

Having asked for and taken on board the recommendations of several
urglers here, I finally settled on Estima, Kestrel and Charlotte.
I doubted if I would be able to get them all at the gc, but very
pleased to say I've managed to get them all:~).

All I want now is some reasonable weather so they don't get frosted.
Asking a lot, I know. I shall be chitting them first, as usual, which
well delay them getting into the garden. Probably just as well.

Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?


We have ordered some from T & M, 3 Sarpo varieties which unsurprisingly
still haven't arrived!!
Bought some Apache from a GC.
and got some at the Hampshire Potato Day...
Rocket
Amandine
Kestrel
Rooster


My delivery from T & M arrived 10 days ago.

On 02/02/2013 08:05, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Spider" wrote

Having asked for and taken on board the recommendations of several
urglers here, I finally settled on Estima, Kestrel and Charlotte.
I doubted if I would be able to get them all at the gc, but very
pleased to say I've managed to get them all:~).

All I want now is some reasonable weather so they don't get frosted.
Asking a lot, I know. I shall be chitting them first, as usual, which
well delay them getting into the garden. Probably just as well.

Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?


We have ordered some from T & M, 3 Sarpo varieties which unsurprisingly
still haven't arrived!!
Bought some Apache from a GC.
and got some at the Hampshire Potato Day...
Rocket
Amandine
Kestrel
Rooster



Goodness! You've taken a lot on, Bob. I assume these are for your
allotment rather than your house garden.

I'll be particularly interested in how you get on with your Kestrel,
since I'm growing those too, but a general report at the end of the
season would be great. I imagine you're also growing on London Clay?
Let's hope we don't get a summer of blight, floods and grizzly gastropods.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

"Spider" wrote
Goodness! You've taken a lot on, Bob. I assume these are for your
allotment rather than your house garden.

I'll be particularly interested in how you get on with your Kestrel, since
I'm growing those too, but a general report at the end of the season would
be great. I imagine you're also growing on London Clay?
Let's hope we don't get a summer of blight, floods and grizzly gastropods.


Grown it for years and years, excellent potato, good for just about
everything in the kitchen and also showing if you're that way inclined. Does
not keep as long as a maincrop but we use the Kestrel up first. Yes, we are
on Thames silt/clay, very acid, heavy and very sticky, constantly needs a
lot of organic matter and working to make it friable. Can't get on it to do
anything until it dries out.

--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 02/02/2013 16:35, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Spider" wrote
Goodness! You've taken a lot on, Bob. I assume these are for your
allotment rather than your house garden.

I'll be particularly interested in how you get on with your Kestrel,
since I'm growing those too, but a general report at the end of the
season would be great. I imagine you're also growing on London Clay?
Let's hope we don't get a summer of blight, floods and grizzly
gastropods.


Grown it for years and years, excellent potato, good for just about
everything in the kitchen and also showing if you're that way inclined.
Does not keep as long as a maincrop but we use the Kestrel up first.
Yes, we are on Thames silt/clay, very acid, heavy and very sticky,
constantly needs a lot of organic matter and working to make it friable.
Can't get on it to do anything until it dries out.



Well, that's good to know. I'm not too worried about keeping them,
unless I roast and freeze them first, so that's not a problem.

I know exactly what you mean about the sticky clay. I've improved mine
a lot in the 32 yrs we've been here, but it is still too heavy for some
things. We don't have the silt, alas, since we're not near the Thames.
I just add as much homemade and bought compost as I can, plus extra
grit to open it up. I do have a few raised beds, so I can try more arid
plantings. Although pockets of our soil are acid, there has been so
much building on the site, that there's lots of old mortar and broken
concrete.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

In message , Spider
writes
On 01/02/2013 19:16, usenet2012 wrote:
In message , Spider
writes
Having asked for and taken on board the recommendations of several
urglers here, I finally settled on Estima, Kestrel and Charlotte.
I doubted if I would be able to get them all at the gc, but very
pleased to say I've managed to get them all:~).

All I want now is some reasonable weather so they don't get frosted.
Asking a lot, I know. I shall be chitting them first, as usual, which
well delay them getting into the garden. Probably just as well.

Desperately hoping I'm not too far ahead of myself:~/
How are other urglers proceeding, please?

It's a long time since I grew spuds.

These are what I've got on order: First Earlies Sharpes Express, Second
Earlies Anya, Maincrop Sarpo Axona. Nothing has arrived yet. (Two out of
three of those were chosen having been advised by an allotment neighbour
that blight is very much present.)

Do let us all know how you get on with your selection, both in
cultivation and taste. I may well repeat one of this year's favourites
if there's an obvious winner, but like to try a new one each year.

I believe you're in Kent. Is that on clay? It would be interesting to
compare notes.

Orpington, so also SE London. Where are you then?

No obvious clay, rather a nice loam. The allotment though has the
disadvantage of a layer of flinty stone ~15" under the surface across a
lot of it so I'll need to be careful to earth up well. Yes I'll report
back.

--
Simon

12) The Second Rule of Expectations
An EXPECTATION is a Premeditated resentment.

On 02/02/2013 16:35, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Spider" wrote
Goodness! You've taken a lot on, Bob. I assume these are for your
allotment rather than your house garden.

I'll be particularly interested in how you get on with your Kestrel,
since I'm growing those too, but a general report at the end of the
season would be great. I imagine you're also growing on London Clay?
Let's hope we don't get a summer of blight, floods and grizzly
gastropods.


Grown it for years and years, excellent potato, good for just about
everything in the kitchen and also showing if you're that way inclined.
Does not keep as long as a maincrop but we use the Kestrel up first.
Yes, we are on Thames silt/clay, very acid, heavy and very sticky,
constantly needs a lot of organic matter and working to make it friable.
Can't get on it to do anything until it dries out.


Fully agree about Kestrel. Good crop and generally useful including
great chips.

Paul
Also SW London