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Northamptonshire, United Kingdom Gb

Does anyone know the answer to this ?
This year I planted 8 rows of Pentland Javelin seed potatoes on well manured ground on my allotment, as usual in 10" deep trenches with soot at the bottom.
There was space for one more row, so I planted 7 of last years crop of Pink Fir Apple (crime No.1) just to see what would happen.
Then we got the monsoon weather. I have recently been digging the crop for the winter.
The rows of Pentland Javelin have a lot of slug damage.
Yesterday I got to the bottom row, and was most surprised to dig 7 good roots of Pink Fir Apple, with a good crop on, and no slug damage at all.
Does anyone know why this is ?
I shall certainly plant half my whole crop next year with Pink Fir Apple as they keep now until June.
Can anyone suggest a variety for the other half ?
With climate change, we may get the same weather again next year.




Answers

 

Can't offer any solution, but if you find something's good in this crazy weather - go with it!

17 Aug, 2012

 

Hello again Diane,
I've never even heard of pink fir apple, but after the failure this year of my Maris Pipers and Home Guard I'll be setting P.F.A. Next year. Thanks for the tip.

17 Aug, 2012

 

Most potatoes are subject to slugs, Diane. If your pink firs are not then go for them again along with other similar varieties - they are classed as salad potatoes I think. Hopefully the predicted hard winter will reduce the number of slugs again.

17 Aug, 2012

 

"predicted hard winter" Bulbaholic?! Who's predicted that, I can feel my heart sinking to my boots, hadn't heard that myself...

17 Aug, 2012

 

That comes directly from the Snowberry bush at Cairngorm, Bamboo. If the berries come early and are large and juicy then we will have a hard winter. This is exactly what happened in 2009 and 2010, the reverse in 2011. The pyschic bush already has the berries in 2012!
Scoff ye not, this forcast is just as accurate as anything that the Met. Office produces.

17 Aug, 2012

 

Not scoffing - will be interesting to see how things turn out though. Bought the snow shovel last year, luckily, lol

17 Aug, 2012

 

Hard Winter ? Good job I'm going to California again then !

17 Aug, 2012

 

Maybe it'll just be bad up in the Cairngorms, and not in London... and lucky you Hank...

17 Aug, 2012

 

You keep your hard winter over there! We had a hard enough one last winter!

17 Aug, 2012

 

Well, its anybody's guess what the weather will be like round the world, never mind here, now that ole' global warming has kicked in and started the process of change... maybe you'll get regular blizzards, Nariz, lol

17 Aug, 2012

 

I find Pink Fir Apple do well even as volunteers left in the ground accidentally. A lovely potato as long as you eat them young before they go floury. Lady Cristl and Casablanca do well as first earlies but do need digging before the slugs get into their stride.

17 Aug, 2012

 

Thank you for that Steragram, will look out for those varieties. Although Pink Fir Apple are classed as salad potatoes I eat them with every meal. Just scrubbed, sliced, and 5 minutes on high in the microwave with some water. Really nice flavour. Will grow double the quantity next year.
I grew up in the country John. As children we were told that when the Hawthorn bushes had a lot of berries it would be a harsh winter. We can learn so much from nature. I wonder if Alpines grown in polytunnels at GCs can survive winter weather because they are mountain plants ? I covered mine with an old sack weighted down with a couple of bricks last year, they really thrived.

18 Aug, 2012

 

What? ... more regular than the regular ones??????

18 Aug, 2012

 

Diane, my first reaction was to ridicule your idea of covering alpines with an old sack in winter, but then I thought about it! In the wild these plants spend several months of the year under a deep blanket of snow. Whilst the air temperature may be many degrees below zero the temperature at beneath the snow is round about zero; so not very cold. They get minimal levels of light through the snow, there is no ventilation (wind) and a just small amount of water trickling beneath the snow. So, what the difference between that and your old sack - not a lot. The only danger that I see with your method is if they become too wet and stagnent in mild spells.

18 Aug, 2012

How do I say thanks?

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