User Posts: Richard
Do you want to know how to grow a really good crop of potatoes? This article is the definitive guide! Growing potatoes can be summarised in the points ...
Richard 
Should you add perlite or vermiculite for vegetables? Which will help achieve the best result and why? Every gardener hopes for the best possible result ...
Gardening is a wonderful hobby – a great sense of satisfaction can be derived from watching the fruits of your labour grow and mature. It can also – with the ...
Though there are as many different gardeners as there are gardens in the world, there is a common thread binding them all. Every gardener hopes to raise the ...
There is nothing as beautiful as the first snowfall of the year – crisp white flakes gently falling to cover the barren land beneath, shrouding it in a sheet ...
One of the oldest tools known to humankind, the axe has been in use since the Stone Age. They have changed and evolved over the years, every successive ...
In this article i will take you through the various steps required to show you how to build a concrete block pillar from start to finish. Positioning your ...
Many outdoors enthusiasts have a host of modern tools and gadgets they can use when preparing to go into the wilderness. Although many of these top survival ...
Flowers are ornamental plants used in designing landscapes, interiors and exterior areas of our houses. They add life and colour to our rooms and buildings ...
To answer the question "When to plant early potatoes?" this all depends on where you live and climate. Where I live in the UK the earliest we usually plant ...
In this article we are going to talk about how to prune an apple tree in winter and what are the important steps to be followed and if there any issues to be ...
What do you call a cactus that isn’t a cactus? Answer - A Euphorbia Lactea. Sometimes known as the candelabra plant, the crested euphorbia, or the crested ...
Chlorophytumcomosum has many common names: Airplane plant, St. Bernard’s lily, Spider ivy, Ribbon plant, and Hen and chickens. But we know it best as the ...
This article is titled how to cut long grass by hand. It is an unusual title because in these modern times people usually use engine driven equipment for ...
What are hydroponics? Simply put, hydroponics is a method of growing plants that uses a nutrient-rich, water-based solution instead of soil to support ...
It's mid February as i write this article and most of the Northern Hemisphere is currently blanketed in snow. While shovelling snow, many homeowners are ...
If you live in coastal areas you will understand the importance of picking your outdoor fixtures carefully, as the salt air can cause havoc with standard ...
Though it may not seem like it right now, spring is just around the corner. And homeowners everywhere will be looking for a tried-and-true method for a ...
Yes you can eat crabapples, although they have a very sharp, bitter taste if you were to eat them raw and if you ate too many of them they would cause you to ...
A chiminea is a great feature to have in any backyard. It keeps you warm on a cold night and creates a great ambience just having it glowing and crackling ...
Windmill water pumps, which is actually an incorrect term for them - A "windmill" is something which harnesses the power of the wind to drive a grain mill. ...
You will have seen perlite when you open up a bag of compost, all the little white specks mixed throughout the compost are pieces of perlite. In this article ...
Learn how to grow parsley in this informative and easy to read post all about parsley. Parsley is a beautiful herb which really excels when pulled fresh from ...
Mark Twain once said that cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education! Thankfully, a college education is not required for growing your own ...
Dig out the hole 6 inches 15cm wider than the outside side of the pillar you want to build. It should be 2 to 3 feet/ 60cm to 100cm deep depending on how soft ...
Adding just a fist-sized portion (100g) of mushrooms to your diet can provide a laundry list of important vitamins and minerals. They are a natural source of ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81SIjMvfeEg&t=84s
In this article i will describe to you how to hang a field gate from start to finish. How to hang a field gate Measure the length of the gate you want ...
One of the most common issues faced by gardeners – hobbyists and professionals alike – is powdery mildew. This disease is easily recognized by its ...
There’s nothing more satisfying than eating fruit and vegetables you’ve grown yourself. Yet, in most climates, it’s too cold for plants to grow outdoors for ...
Fall might be upon us, but we’ve been getting so much rain here recently that I’m afraid my hedges are going to be overgrown in no time. It’s not too hard to ...
Before you begin your tree clear up, cutting firewood, or even landscaping tasks, it is essential to have a chainsaw in good working order: well-maintained ...
The title of this article means more to me than to most people, because I have learned the hard way, the difference between ordinary floor paint and epoxy ...
Peas are one of the first things I like to plant in early spring. They love to germinate in cool temperatures and can handle being planted as early as a month ...
Having a nice looking hedge around your home or garden is something everyone enjoys. Studies have shown that homes with plenty of green space nearby ...
Potatoes can be planted as soon as the ground becomes workable in early spring. Usually, by mid-February you can get out and prepare the soil for planting. ...
Yew plants require deep, well-aerated, drained and fertile soil to grow and thrive in. It will not matter if the yew is being planted to be a tree or as ...
In this article I will be covering how to grow Turnips (and Swedes), how long do turnips take to grow and how to nurture them through the early (risky) ...
It is only when you have your garden looking really good and things are growing well that you start to notice how much of a pest slugs and snails can be. ...
In this article we look at the different ways you can go about digging up a flower bed. We cover what to do if you have an existing flower bed with plants ...
If you ask a professional groundscare person which type of lawnmower gives the best cut for your lawn, they will all say reel mowers give the best cut by far. ...
In this article, I will review 5 of the best mid-sized backpack leaf blowers on the market. This is a beginner's guide to highlight the differences in 5 ...
Robotic lawnmowers have well and truly arrived. Now which one should you choose?A lot of people take great enjoyment from cutting their lawns, but a lot of ...
Creating a deep, finely tilled bed to plant your vegetables, hedge or flowers in can be one of the most labour intensive, back breaking jobs a gardener will ...
The best trimmer line for edging is the same best trimmer line for all the other jobs. It doesn't matter what the job it is for, the best trimmer line is the ...
Edging your lawn has to one of the most high impact jobs to improve the appearance of your property. It really does catch peoples eye and gives your home a ...
The topic of best chemical for cleaning my driveway is one which is brought up many times. If you have spent a lot of time mowing, edging your lawn and ...
In this article I will look at how to get rid of leaves without raking, using other implements rather than using the traditional hand rake. Why bother to lift ...
The main secret of how to make stripes in yard and improving the visual impact of your lawn is having a lawnmower with a heavy roller behind the cutting ...
Today I will show you how to get potatoes to sprout eyes. I do this a few weeks in advance of planting, which can mean your potatoes will be ready up to 2 ...
Choosing the best place to plant your potatoes will be different for everyone. We al have different areas available to grow things in. Some people may have ...
Have you grown potatoes in the past and they turned out very small? If the answer is yes, then there will likely be a few reasons why this happened. One of ...
Hello Sandy, thank you for getting in touch, if you have any further questions let me know! Richard.
Hello Vaika, yes they will still be producing potatoes – not every potato plant will flower. Sounds like you need to give them another month yet. Good luck. Richard.
Hello Polly, thanks for your comment, I’m sure you will have plenty of delicious potatoes in a few weeks time. 👍
Hello Duncan, thank you, happy you found it useful…I’ll gladly answer any questions you have. Richard
Hello Blathnaid, great question.. Use enough so that all the leaves of each potato plant get coated with a light mist of spray. Thank you, Richard.
Thank you Ernest
Hello Diarmuid, the spray is effective, keep applying it once every week and it should keep the blight away.
Hello Geoffrey, Bordeaux formula is a great homemade alternative for blight treatment. Inspect your crop daily for signs of blight. Thanks for your reply, Richard.
Hello Agatha, I would check the plants daily for black blight spots. You can then remove the infected leaves and mix up a blight spray as per the article and apply it immediately. Alternatively, you can apply some now before the blight hits. The most important thing is to them check daily. Richard.
Hello Kim, broccoli would fall into leaf category as it is above the soil level- thanks for your question, Richard.
Hello Sara, take an initial reading using a pH meter, then sprinkle a dusting og baking soda on the surface, mix the top 2 inches of soil and measure again. Repeat until desired pH is achieved.
Hello, you have quite a bit to lower your ph so it will require a good bit of amendment. I would suggest you add iron sulphate to lower the ph, adding one application at a time and rechecking after a few days. Thank you for your question and good luck.
Hello Ruben, I think this sounds ok, I would be careful not to add too many seed potatoes to each bucket as they could turn out small. 1 or 2 should be enough in each bucket. Position them to get maximum sunlight for as long as possible during the day – providing they don’t begin wilting you should be ok. Thank you and good luck.
Hello Tom, yes, you can use the same container. Its probably best to wash it and let it dry before filling with soil again. This will help prevent spread of any disease from last year’s crop.
Hello Alice, when you say you can get it to run, do you mean the blades won’t turn?
Hello Rebecca, I dont think it will be a problem – usually a field is only in potatoes every 5 years minimum and all the work done in the field will be done as fast as possible – harvesting should only last a week or two in October. Maybe ask a neighbour who lives nearby for more accurate information. Thank you, Richard.
Hello Terry, it sounds like either bruising or blight. If the potato looks ok on the outside but dark inside it will be bruising, and if it looks rotten in places outside and dark inside it will be blight. Thank you, Richard.
Hello Dee, yes it would support a very heavy hanging gate but i am fitting a sliding gate to mine. If i was fitting hanging gates maybe i would have laid the blocks on their flat and filled the centres of the pillars. I would have also have built the hangers into the pillar if i had been fitting swinging gates. Thanks for your comment and best of luck with your pillars!
Richard.
Hello Glenn, the diameter of the pump is around 5 feet and sits in the water about 2 feet. It drains maybe 100 acres on that side of the farm. The outfeed is folded galvanised steel about 1 foot by 1 foot square. Thank you for your comment- you must be considering something like it!
Richard
Hello Jasper, thank you for your comment, i’m glad you found the article helpful- Richard.
Hello Kay you should get them planted now as soon as possible. I would keep them in the daylight so they don’t grow big buds – they should be ok to use until they begin to shrivel up too much.
Hello Dee, I’m not sure about organic guidelines, maybe speak to a member of an organic organisation.
Richard
Hello Catherine, thank you, Richard.
Hello Harmen, look for a high ammonium based Nitrogen fertilizer to add to the lawn as this will lower the ph. The rates will be indicated on the bag.
Richard.
Hello Sue, yes you can still add fertilizer by sprinkling it over the top of the potatoes. See my article on potato fertilizer for recommended fertilizers.
Hello Marcia, add 50ml of vinegar to 1 litre of water then test the soil the next day. Iron sulphate can be used if you have a larger area or if you are in less of a hurry to plant.
Hello John, you should let them die back for two weeks before harvesting. This make make the tops dry and brittle and easier to remove.
Hello Maria, after it has been well mixed up the soil can be tested again the next day. Thank you, Richard.
Hello Dhiru, yes apply a little vinegar solution and retest until you have reached your target pH.
Thanks
Richard
Hello Angelo, apply a little at a time and re test.
Thanks
Richard
Hello Angelo, try a little at a time and retest the soil pH until satisfactory.
Thanks
Richard
Hello Jim for greater yield you need to know the NPK of your soil, what the potatoes require and apply the difference in fertilizer. Consult the fertilizer handbook for potatoes for figures. See my article on potato storage for some tips.
Thanks
Richard
Hello Kathy, if it is only the tips of the buds they will be fine. Put them out in the daylight for a few days and they will green up.
Thanks
Richard
Hello John, the seed potatoes are allowed to form small buds as they sit inside the ton boxes which we then put into our potato planter. Thank you, Richard.
Hello Vicky, yes they may display symptoms of virus attack. On the other hand they might not have been infected and do OK. If you have only a small amount of seed potatoes I would advise that you use new seed. Thank you, Richard.
Hello Peter, yes that will work, adding some manure or fertilizer will probably help also, compost is usually not very high in NPK. Richard
Hello Ali, yes you can cut the large potatoes up as long as each piece has an eye. I wouldn’t cut them any smaller than one square inch.
Thanks
Richard
Hello Mick, I think I used about one cubic meter for the two. I just bought it from the local concrete plant.
Thanks
Richard
Hello Mick, i used 9″ x 4″ at the bottom and used 6″x 4″ on the top. I only did this as i had a few of each lying around- there was no reason for it. Good question…thank you, Richard.
Hello Barbara, thank you. If you have any questions or suggestions for the next article, let me know.
Thank you,
Richard
Hello George – good point, thanks for getting in touch.
Richard
Hello Ester, if you like doing the edging you could get someone to modify your edger by shortening it to about 1 foot long, then you could you bring a wooden mallet with you and hammer the edger into the grass – this would save your knees and the wooden mallet is relatively light to carry.
Good luck
Richard