Potato Day

On Sunday I attended my first ever potato day.

A potato day is where you can purchase a wide range of seed potatoes (and other plants).  The main difference to purchasing here rather than at a garden centre or from an online supplier is that you have the option of purchasing as few or as many of each variety as you want.  There can also be quite a large number of heritage and heirloom varieties available

It was held at the Hulme Community Garden Centre in Manchester which was in itself a lovely place to be - lots of plants for sale, plenty of willow and hazel poles (some of which I may be going back for).

Hulme Community Garden Centre

I wanted to get a few more varieties to try out on the plot.

I already have maincrop (Anya), first early (Pentland Javelin) and second early (Maris Piper) so I wanted at least one more of each type.

My wife had requested that I try to grow some blue potatoes, so the first pack I looked at was Salad Blue, a heritage maincrop.  These were on sale for £0.25 per tuber, or 1kg for £2.20.  I bought a kilo containing 22 tubers.

Next I got a kilo of Cassablanca first early and also a kilo of Bambino second early for £1.50 each.  These are both new-type potatoes so there were about thirty tubers of each.

All I need now is about six more egg trays and enough space in the conservatory to get them all chitting in time to be planted out at the start of the potato growing season in March