Medwyn Williams is finally planting his potatoes!
The spuds are going in later than normal because of the recent terrible weather
Ican’t remember having such an awful winter with constant rain, snow and freezing conditions. The soil has been so wet we couldn’t get anything done on the field until the third week of March. Normally I’ve the first lot of early potatoes planted during early March but this year it was just after Easter before the soil was warm enough to contemplate any planting.
I’d already planted some ‘Lady Christl’ first earlies in pots in the glasshouse. I planted them in 1-litre pots and by mid-March the haulms were already quite tall. A week before Easter I moved them from the glasshouse to my polytunnel and covered them with two layers of fleece.
This is the method I use to get show quality potatoes for my displays at the Chelsea Flower Show during the third week in May. I reckon I should be harvesting some lovely first earlies during the first week of May. What I don’t want from now on is a hard frost that could severely set them back.
I’ll plant the potatoes for my Malvern display this week in 20-litre polypots and lay them out in three rows in the field. I place a 7½cm (3in) layer of my own organic potato growing medium at the bottom of each bag, then position one potato on top and fill the bag to within 2½cm (1in) of the rim with the same compost.
This year I’m growing ‘Blue Belle’, ‘Bonnie’, ‘Winston’, a purple-eyed seedling, ‘Mozart’, ‘Harmony’ and a new variety called ‘Vizelle’. This is from Thompson & Morgan and should be around the same size as a golf ball when it’s harvested. If it turns out well then it will add another dimension to the display in smaller baskets. ‘Mozart’ is another new variety for me. John Bebbington from Crewe recommended it to me. John has grown it to exhibition standard, and he can certainly grow good spuds! ‘Mozart’ is a vivid red-skinned variety to give me contrast against the other whites.
Why not follow me on Twitter throughout the season as I grow vegetables for my display at Malvern