General > Assisted Gardening

Potato planting

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ACE:
As you all know I had a bit of trouble with my leg all winter. Still not right and getting down on all fours is impossible, well it is, it's getting up again that's the problem. Not to be beaten I planted spuds yesterday with some long reach grabbers and a long handled bulb planter. I raked a trough with the Asian hoe which was not quite deep enough to plant in. So I used the bulb planter to make to holes then the grabber to put the tatties in the right way up. Pulled the soil back over with the hoe and BINGO all done.

Good job I managed to dig a decent depth last autumn so the ground is not compacted deep down. But even that was done with the Asian hoe so it was all upper body work and not a strain on my legs.

Hector:
That's ingenious :)

Crystalmoon:
Hello Ace I also have problems with my legs, arthritis in knees, so kneeling is a no no & heavy digging is also not good. Thank you for this brilliant way to plant spuds this will help me so much. xxx

mrrigsby:
Get a piece of 3in plastic drainpipe about 4ft long, push it vertically into soil to the required depth and remove it, together with core of soil inside. Drop potato into the hole that is left and use broom handle etc to push core out of pipe on top of planted potato. Job's a good un.

ACE:
As spud planting time is nearly here a quick warning, the bulb planter  method does work if you have the right soil. On my top plot with the lovely crumbly soil, lovely crop, the bottom claggy clay plot nothing, the seed spuds rotted off. I first put this down to the soil being robbed of its goodness by some fresh manure where the stables used woodchip instead of straw for bedding. I have since realised  it was not the manure, it was the planting method. Using the stamp in bulb planter then twisting it out formed a sealed hole in the clay which fill up with water and rotted the seed spuds. So if you need to use this method have a test first, make the hole and fill with water, if it soaks away carry on, if it just puddles give it a miss.

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