We started planting seed potatoes on 12 February in 2011, not because conditions were ideal, but because work was taking Mike abroad, & he would be away for 4 weeks.
cultivating
Luckily the soil had been covered with a plastic sheet since late November. So the rain had been kept off and the soil was quite dry.
The sheet was taken off, and the soil was cultivated with a rotovator, and a wonderful seed bed appeared!
preparing ground
Two rows were then measured out.
distance between rows
Each row was marked out, so that seed potatoes were planted 12in (30cm) apart in the row.
potato rows marked out
A hole was made at each planting position and the seed potato was dropped in with the rose uppermost.
seed potato in hole
bard seed going in hole
planting potato seed2
The planted potato seed was covered with a shallow layer of soil. The furrows are left, with the covered seed in the bottom, so that the seed has some protection from the walls of the furrow. These walls will be used to cover (ridge up) the potato shoots as they grow.
Bubble wrap was laid over the soil to keep the soil warm and a polytunnel now covers the whole row. The risk of planting potatoes early is that they will get frosted.