How much seed potatoes are needed? 🤷

Never wrestle with pigs

Hi, I am going to sow a few potatoes this year. Morris pipers, and roosters. A little under half an acre altogether split into half each. I'm not sure exactly how much I need. 200 kg of each?

Anyone here selling seed potatoes directly loose? Must be cheaper than buying in bags from the garden centres I'd imagine. Thanks 👍

mikewest

You are probably in the ballpark with the quantity but you can get away with less if you split the seed potatoes with one eye per split so depending on the quality and variety you could halve the quantity purchased.

Marris Piper don't always do so well in Ireland if you don't have the right soil type. Kerrs pink, Records, Homeguard, and Queens are worth looking at as well as Roosters. Golden wonders are lovely potatoes but don't crop so well and can be very disease prone so take extra looking after - but they're worth it if you like spuds.😁 Also look at heritage varieties that would have been grown in your part of the country.

Buy certified seed from a local agricultural supply store/co-op. Be cheaper than a garden center usually.

This is a fact sheet for commercial potato growing but applies to growing anything more than a small veg plot.

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2013/GrowingPotato.pdf

Don't forget to treat for blight just about every week and in real blight conditions even more often, it's Ireland!

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058396603/how-much-seed-potatoes-are-needed

a half an acre is not a few potatoes. You’d feed a fair few houses with half an area. I’d say 1/8 of an acre would be enough for any normal family size, at least for the first year or two to see how you get on.

geographica

Maris Piper

Never wrestle with pigs

Ya there would be 7 people from my house and the parents too and probably the brothers house (another 5). We go through a fair few 🤣

mattser

I'm assuming you'll be using more machinery than the sole of your boot !!

older by the day

I would grow British queen's here for summer eating, usually I run out in October, which is great because I get sick of digging them and they get cheap and I don't have to worry about storage.

Like said above, a half an acre is a lot, unless you are spraying with a tractor, every 10 days with a knapsack gets hard when they are in full leaf.

If you are going feeding 14 people, get a hand digging them

Dunedin

If new to growing spuds and going with half an acre, I’d stay away from any of the early varieties as they are more prone to blight. Records or roosters would be a safer bet.

As said above, you need to be on top of the spraying. Half an acre won’t be a job for rhr budget so you’ll need a small tractor and you’d nearly just want to leave the sprayer on it for them few weeks.

PoorFarmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058396603/how-much-seed-potatoes-are-needed

This crowd do bulk amounts

https://www.fruithillfarm.com/seeds-and-propagation/organic-seed-potatoes-ireland/main-crop-potatoes/maris-piper-seed-potatoes.html

tabby aspreme

Liffey Mill's sell a lot of seed potatoes, if there's a branch near you call in for a look

9935452

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058396603/how-much-seed-potatoes-are-needed

Hi op

Have you experience with spuds before.

Do you have the equipment and labour to sow spray and harvest tgem. Do you have space to store them.

The father always used to do about an acre but in the last few years harvests have been poor..

Whereabouts in the country are you

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123179990#Comment_123179990

and is your soil suitable. Spuds need free draining soil for best results.

Mine is heavy clay and a nightmare when it comes to taking them out if it’s any way wet. And often be up to a month late sowing as waiting for it to be dry enough. Not an issue as I only sow a small amount but wouldnt like it if doing a big amount

Never wrestle with pigs

Free draining ground and plenty of room and equipment. It's just a bit of craic for getting the kids involved in sowing and picking spuds. I think I'll chance around 200 kg of each and see how that goes this year.