Time for tatties
Published:
THE season is being as unpredictable as it can be – warm, sunny spells followed by cold and rain, maybe with a wee dollop of the white stuff thrown in.
I’m not surprised because my good friend, Heather the Weather, better known in science circles as Dr Heather Reid, tells us that nowadays, statistically, we are more likely to get snow on Easter Day than on Christmas Day – so there.
Haud awa fae that, the garden work beckons. Have you got your tatties chitting yet? I was in Parkhill Garden Centre the other day and the Auld Yin (that’s Gordon) tells me that they have more than 70 varieties of potato in stock. Interestingly enough, some of them looked as if they were almost sold out – unless there is back-up stock somewhere. Predictably, “Dukes” had proved extremely popular.
PS: The Young Yin (that’s Brian) can’t wait to get the new shop and tearoom commissioned; it is going to make life much better for staff and customers alike. It will be a great asset, I’m sure.
Anyway, the thought did strike me: if you can’t get the varieties you have always used, what would you choose to substitute? I do often remind you to try something new from time to time without abandoning your tried and tested varieties. So what should you try if you can’t get the early potato, Duke of York, a favourite in this area for many a long year.
For the record, it has been on the go since 1891. Red Duke of York, obviously a sport from the original, was introduced in 1942, and it is preferred to the original by many knowledgeable gardeners.
I’m still inclined to look for Epicure Sharpe’s Express, Home Guard or Arran Pilot, old favourites that have never let me down, but casting an eye over the catalogues, you could be a bit venturesome and try Swift or Rocket, two of the quickest maturing earlies.
To get the best of them, it pays to get them in now and be prepared to cover the drills with fleece to protect a little from late frost.
In my view, unless you have plenty space, it is hardly worth your while planting maincrop spuds because they can be bought comparatively cheaply in large bags in most areas.
Remember that it is the later-maturing varieties that are most likely to be affected by potato blight. Taking the argument further, there is every reason to grow earlies, second earlies and/or early maincrop and stop there.
Of the second earlies, Maris Peer is probably one of the best known. It’s afa good for producing lots of tubers – smallish maybe, but excellent for use as a salad potato. The bonus with this variety is the purple flowers. This would be my choice for growing in pots or bags on the patio – decorative and, because of the initiation of lots of tubers, it has the potential to give you sizeable crops in containers.
There are plenty new second earlies about, too. We’ve grown Kestrel and Saxon successfully at Beechgrove.
In the maincrop category, I cannot see past the Sarpo varieties because of their resistance to blight, and they do store well – we have only just finished our crop of Sarpo Mira about a month ago. If you have space, however, try a few Lady Balfour, an early maincrop named after the founder of the Soil Association which also has resistance to blight. I grew some last year and we just loved the flavour.
Even though your ground may not be ready for planting just yet, get the tubers home while there is still a good choice. They can be set up in a light, frost-free place – greenhouse, windowsill, wherever, and allowed to produce little sprouts. This is the process we call chitting. Don’t attempt to force the growth; if you do, it is likely to be soft and spindly and will be knocked off during the planting process – a wasted effort.
Transplanting
Where the ground is fit to work, this is a great time of year to be moving plants around if you fancy a bit of redesigning. Last weekend, we were moving a few shrubs, even azaleas that will flower soon. The success of transplanting depends on you knowing your plants and your soil.
Having selected the plant to be moved, it is wise to select the new site and prepare the planting hole in advance. You may not know exactly how big it has to be to contain the root ball of the plant being moved, but you should err on the big side. Fork some well rotted compost into the bottom of the hole and firm gently. Sprinkle a handful of slow-release general fertiliser on the soil to be used to fill in round the transplant.
Now you can lift the plant, firstly by slicing down and all the way around it with a spade, at least 18in from the stem. This is an attempt to delineate the size of the root ball consistent with the size of the plants – and what you think you are capable of lifting and moving.
Obviously, the root ball could be significantly smaller, depending on age and size of plant. The opposite situation may also be relevant and, in that case, you will have to consider whether moving the plant is a good idea.
By digging round to the depth of the spade, you would then begin to lever the plant root ball out of the ground, cutting through any taproots as necessary. You may then lift or roll the plant out of the hole on to a strong sheet of sacking or polythene to move it safely from A to B while trying to keep that root ball intact.
If you have it contained within a piece of sacking or whatever, it means that you can lower it in and out of the new planting hole until you are sure that it finishes at the same depth. There are dangers when under-planting, meaning the root ball sits proud of the surface with roots exposed, or over-planting – where the root ball is too low in the ground and stem bases are covered with soil. If this happens, these stems may rot off. This is a problem that can also occur by applying a deep mulch too close to growing stems.
When the plant is in its new location and you are satisfied it is at the correct depth, the surrounding soil can be filled in, firming gently as the work progresses to ensure that there are no holes left which can fill up with water. If conditions are dry, a thorough soaking may be necessary at intervals over the coming weeks.
If the plant is rather top-heavy after the move, you have two options. Firstly, with many deciduous shrubs, you can prune out a third of the growth to “lighten the load”, and/or you can give the plant a temporary stake to be sure that the root ball does not start to rock about.
Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen (RHSA)
The society’s spring show will be held in the Duthie Park Winter Garden this coming Saturday and Sunday, March 29-30.
One new idea being tried for the first time is a kind of plant swap thing. During your transplanting exploits, you might have a few bits and pieces that you don’t need. So long as they are healthy and ostensibly free from disease (and alien roots) stick them in a bag and bring them to the show.
For each plant, you will be given a voucher entitling you to buy a comparable plant at half price from that RHSA stall.
You could take such plants along on the show days or on the Friday evening. For further details, phone Lesley Glasser on 01224 712605.
