Jamieson Brothers Seed Potatoes

British Potato Championships 2012

2011-11-10T18:35:00.000Z

There is a new championship for the 2012 season.

JBA Seed Potatoes are pleased to announce that the British Potato Championships will be taking place at next years Causey Show.

There will be £100 on offer for 1st prize in 3 seperate classes.

Class one is for a plate of 5 white potatoes.
Class two is for a plate of 5 part coloured potatoes
Class three is for a plate of 5 full coloured potatoes.

The winner of each class will then be put forward to the finals and the best plate will win the grower the title of the British Potato Champion.

Causey show is going from strength to strength and we think it is the ideal place for the championships.

There will be more details to follow very soon.

JBA World Potato Championships 2012

2011-11-10T18:27:00.001Z

JBA seed potatoes have been confirmed as the new sponsors of the World potato championships that are held at the Dundee Flower show.

There is some major prize money on offer at the show with £250 on offer for 1st prize.

To enter the class you need to have 6 varieties of 6 potatoes on 6 separate plates. The exhibits really do look well at this event and we would encourage people to try and enter this show.

Current world champion Sherie Plumb who is supplied by JBA seed potatoes travels all the way from Essex just to get the chance to exhibit at this major show.

At the same show we will also be sponsoring the Scottish championships. To enter this class you must exhibit 4 varieties with 4 potatoes per plate.

There will be more information about this to follow so stay tuned.

JBA exhibition potato mix

2011-11-02T14:50:00.000Z

JBA exhibition standard compost mix

Our latest venture is into the world of compost. I have over the last 2 years mixed up all my own potato mixes to grow exhibition potatoes in which I found to be very costly and time consuming. So my answer is to offer the complete mix as used by the top show growers in the country.

My mix is 80litres of Irish moss peat that is finely graded and screened between a size of 5-15mm so that the mixture allows air through it without compacting. To the 80 litres I add 400grams of TEV 4 fertilizer and 400grams of my finely powdered calcified seaweed alternative.

This is the perfect mix for growing your show potatoes in.

We will offer this in pallet deals or it can be purchased at an individual bag rate.

50% extra free this year in our taster packs

2011-10-10T20:44:00.001+01:00

This year we have gone for packs of ten tubers instead of our usual 5 tuber packs.

The best news about it is that we have held them at the same price as last years packs of 5 at £1.99.

So you will be getting the same top quality Scottish seed potatoes but at an even greater discounted price of £1.99 for ten tubers.

So far our pre orders have almost matched what we sold by the same time in December of last year so the demand is bigger than ever.

We have also launched a new looking site with a quicker shopping system and speedier checkout system.

We hope you find all the changes to your liking.

World Champion Seed Suppliers Again

2011-09-03T19:14:00.001+01:00

The 2011 World potato champion is once again Sherie Plumb and family.

They had an extra special display this year that consisted of Amour,Bonnie,Sherine,Winston,Kestrel and Blue Belle which were all supplied by JBA Seed Potatoes.

This has been another great year for our seed potatoes with Sherie also winning first with Winston at the NVS Nationals.

Sherie was also first in the NVS Amour Class.

The NVS Sherine class was also won by Sherie.

First in the coloured potato class was new grower Owain Roberts with a great plate of Kestrel grown in a brand new growing medium supplied by Medwyn Williams and in our new polypots which now have extra holes in them to allow extra uptake of nutrients and allow excess water to get out of the bag.

Sherie had a second prize in the coloured potato class with a great plate of Purple Eyed Seedling.

Other prize winners were Eric Craik with a few seconds and thirds in a fiercly contested competition with some NVS Sherine and NVS Amour. Eric had a new system this year that covered the potato bags and stopped too much rain water getting into the polypots. He certainly had a great skin finish on them.

All seed was supplied by ourselves and has proven to get the results no matter what part of the country you live in.

JBA seed potatoes win again

2011-08-28T09:12:00.000+01:00

Another good weekend for our potatoes at the National championships of the NVS.

In the white potato class Sherie Plumb won again with a great set of Winston. She was closely followed by a new young Welsh breeder called Owain(Wmff as he is known on his blog)who grew his potatoes in a brand new peat mixture that has been formulated by Medwyn Williams. This new peat mixture sounds to be the perfect growing medium for show potatoes.

In the coloured potato section Owain won with what is said to be some of the best Kestrel ever seen anywhere.

Both of the JBA sponsored potato classes were won by Sherie Plumb and family. They won the NVS Amour and NVS Sherine potato classes.

Overall it was one of the best shows ever for potatoes and the fact that all the winners are supplied by JBA seed potatoes just goes to prove how good our seed is.

We would like to thank all of our customers and wish them continued success.

The Final Weekend To Order Christmas Potatoes

2011-08-11T17:40:00.000+01:00

This weekend is your final chance to purchase autumn planting potatoes online from us. Our last posting day for them is Monday so be quick and buy them before we sell out.

Buy Christmas Potatoes

JBA wins GOLD medal at Gardening Scotland 2011

2011-06-07T13:50:00.000+01:00

JBA won our first ever Gold medal at Gardening Scotland 2011.

This was the first time ever that we had put on a display and we were delighted with the results.

JBA at Gardening Scotland 2011

2011-06-02T19:30:00.000+01:00

I have been busy at Gardening Scotland putting up what is believed to be the biggest display of potatoes ever put forward at a show at this time of year.

My friend Ian Stocks is a master at the dark art of staging exhibits and I learnt alot from him over the past 2 days.

Watch my video and see what you think.

Royal Potatoes Harvested 29/4/11

2011-04-29T19:03:00.000+01:00

With today being the royal wedding day I decided to harvest some Swift potatoes that had been growing in the greenhouse during the winter. The crop is not huge but they have been harvested a bit too soon and there were plenty more tubers forming which would have been great in a few weeks time.

Anyway here is the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL9xYyJ-U7M

You can comment on them here http://growingpotatoes.co.uk/forums/showthread.php/315-Royal-Potatoes-Harvested-29-4-11

I also have a few photos of them just waiting to be washed a devoured.

JBA Eating Potatoes In The Shops Now!!!

2011-03-30T19:36:00.000+01:00

We loaded up another 24 tonne load of eating potatoes today that will be sent out all over the north east of England. We send a load every week over to that area so keep your eyes peeled for our potatoes in the shops.

This is how we transport them across to Tyneside so that they can then be unloaded in the warehouse and sent out all over the north east.

Here are the bags with our logo on so you know that they are from us.

If you would like to purchase eating potatoes from us then you are in luck as we have just started to mail them direct to households. CLICK HERE to go to our selection of quality Scottish eating potatoes

Powdered Calcified Seaweed from JBA

2011-03-28T19:58:00.000+01:00

For years people have asked for this product and we are now pleased to bring you this specialist product,

It is now available from us in 20kg sack. http://www.jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk/hessian-sacks-and-sundries/powdered-calcified-seaweed-p300.html

25% OFF ALL PRICES

2011-03-08T15:42:00.000Z

We are now offering 25% off all purchases at the following sign up page http://www.jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk/newsletter_offers.html

Potato Day This Sunday The 6th of March

2011-03-04T21:32:00.002Z

Remeber that we are having our annual potato day at Gardenwise of Dumfries this Sunday between 10am and 4pm.

Medwyn Williams will be on hand to give advice and talks about all things vegetable.

Planting Potatoes

2011-02-26T20:10:00.002Z

Planting Potatoes in the garden

Growing potatoes in soil is still the most common and popular way to grow potatoes.

There are 5 different types of soil throughout the UK and some potatoes grow better in different soil types than others.

LOAM- A loamy soil is the ideal blend of clay and sand. It has the advantage of two types and none of their disadvantages. The presence of sand allows the water to percolate through quickly and the presence of the clay helps to keep the soil moist.

CLAY- This a smooth silky soil to touch and even when it is well drained it is inclined to be cold and wet. This type of soil should be worked in the autumn and left over the winter to break down.

SANDY- A sandy soil is light and easy to cultivate with a fork. It is a warm soilbecause it accepts the sun's rays much more easily. Sandy soils require plenty of organic matter as they are low in plant nutrients.

PEATY SOIL- Some times referred to as mossland peaty soil can become waterlogged and contain very little plant food but plenty organic matter. Fertilizers must be used with this soil type to maximise results.

LIMEY SOILS- Chalky or limey soil is usually shallow. It is lacking in humus and plant food, such soils are dry and sticky and unpleasant to cultivate when wet. Plants growing in these conditions can often suffer from stunted growth and lime induced chlorosis. Growing potatoes in limey soils is not highly recommended.

(See "Planting Potatoes")

To prepare your soil you should try and add organic matter in the back end of the previous year and this will give it time to break down over the winter and will add essential feeding to your soil.

Most potatoes are planted in the UK after mid March so as to avoid frosts, although this is not always the case. In the South of England it is possible to plant potatoes from the middle of February, whereas in the North of Scotland it is normal to plant potatoes in mid April.

To work out how many potatoes you will need for your garden or allotment, I would normally say for first earlies that you would give them a square foot per potato, and for second earlies and maincrops you should give them a square foot and a half per potato.

That should now make it easy for you to measure the area you wish to plant with potatoes and work out how many potatoes are needed.

Your potato bed should be turned over at least 1 week before you wish to plant your potatoes. A good garden fork can make this job a lot easier or maybe you can borrow or hire a rotovator.

Dig a simple trench the width of your shovel and 6inches deep before adding some fertilizer to the bottom of the trench. There are many good fertilizers that you can buy but make sure they are proper balanced potato fertilizers, as a general purpose fertilizer will not do the job.

Once you have added the fertilizer to the trench then simply fork the fertilizer into the bottom of the trench so that the soil is nice and loose below where the potatoes will be situated. Now that the trench is prepared you can add the potatoes to the trench.

Space your first earlies about 8-10 inches apart. Second earlies can be space 10-12 inches apart. Maincrops can be planted 12-15inches apart. Once you have planted your potatoes you can simply back fill the trench until the soil is level once again.

As the potato haulms grow you can ridge up the sides of the trench so that it forms a peak. This will allow the potatoes to grow upwards and prevent them from turning green and inedible.

Potato Day 2011 At Gardenwise

2011-01-29T21:28:00.000Z

We will again be holding our annual potato day at Gardenwise of Dumfries. Gardenwise is one of the top garden centres in the area and offers everything you could need for your garden. They will have the biggest display of varieties in the Region on Sunday the 6th of March.

Medwyn Williams MBE and 11 times gold medal winner at Chelsea will again be attending on the Sunday to give a talk about how to grow top quality vegetables.

It should be another great day there and we are all looking forward to it.

The doors open at 10am and there will be talks going on through the day and you will be able to ask any of us any questions that you may have.

My Favourite Potatoes

2011-01-09T18:08:00.000Z

Seed Potato Catalogue - Boiling Potatoes

2010-12-21T19:42:00.001Z

Seed Potato Catalogue - Boiling Potatoes

Boiling potatoes is still the main use for any potato. All first earlies are suited to boiling straight from your garden. Here are a selection hand picked by us for you to grow in your garden. Read our guide about boiling potatoes. More info...
Wash your potatoes and give them a good scrub so that you remove all dirt from the skins. If there are any skin imperfections then you can remove them with your nail or a sharp knife.
Place your potatoes into a pan and fill the pan with cold water so that the potatoes are just covered over by the water.
Place the potatoes onto a hot oven ring and bring to the boil. Once your water is boiling then you should reduce the heat and allow the potatoes to simmer in the pan. Keep an eye on your potatoes and check every 5 minutes with a fork to see if they are ready. It normally takes 25 minutes for medium sized potatoes to boil and can take upto 40 minutes for larger potatoes.
Use your fork to jab the potatoes and if the potatoes are easy to get the fork into then they are ready to be removed from the pan and served.
You now have the choice to serve the potatoes with the skins on which contain all the good nutrients of the potato or to serve them skinless.

Seed Potato Catalogue - Baked potatoes

2010-12-21T19:42:00.000Z

Seed Potato Catalogue - Baked potatoes

Jamieson Brothers have selected a great selection of potatoes for you to grow in your garden that will make excellent baking potatoes. The ideal potato for baking should be a large floury variety that grows easily to a large size. Nothing beats the smell and taste of a baked potato when served with a touch of salt and lashings of butter. More info...
To make perfect baked or jacket potatoes you will need to use some large potatoes. You will also need some vegetable oil, some butter and a small amount of salt.
The first thing you should do is pre-heat your oven to approx 180c as this will help speed up the process.
Give your potatoes a good clean under a running tap of cold water so that you remove all traces of soil and then gently dry them with some kitchen towel.
The next important step is to pierce the potatoes several times all over with a fork to stop the potatoes going soft and soggy. This allows moisture to escape during the cooking process and keeps the potatoe dry and fluffy inside.
You can now either brush your vegetable oil onto your potatoes or place them in a bowl and roll the potatoes in the oil before adding a sprinkle of salt to the skin of each potato you wish to bake.
Now that you have added the oil and salt you can place then into your oven on a wire rack. Most people have a cooking tray lined with tin foil place below the potatoes so that any drippings that occur during baking are caught in the tray below.
It will take approx 1 hour for your potatoes to bake in the oven and you will soon see that they have gone lovely and crispy golden brown. At this stage you should remove them from the oven to prepare them for serving.
You can now slit the potatoes length wise and width wise to make a cross shape in the potatoes before serving them with anything you like to add to them. Most people like to add cheese or butter to their baked jacket potatoes.
You have now made perfect baked potatoes to serve to your friends and family.

Growing potatoes - how to grow potatoes

2010-12-21T19:41:00.000Z

Growing potatoes - how to grow potatoes

The traditional way to plant and grow potatoes is to choose a nice south facing site that is away from tree and hedges. You should try not to plant potatoes in areas that can be prone to frost in low lying pockets.
Ideal soil conditions for growing potatoes are sandy loam soils which can be enriched with lots of organic matter to aid water retention and provide suitable feeding for you potatoes.
Heavy clay soils can be improved by adding sharp sand and lots of organic matter in the autumn of the year so that the new soil mixture can be exposed to frost which will help break up the soil structure and make it easier to work with.
If you are unable to get organic matter you can add compost to the area you wish to plant your potatoes in.
In the early part of spring where weather conditions allow you can broadcast a balanced potato fertilizer at a rate of around 4oz per square yard. Vitax organic potato fertilizer would be suitable for this as it is a slow release fertilizer formulated for potatoes.
Once you have spread your fertilizer you can either fork the soil so that it is well mixed or gently rotovate and leave for around 10 days before planting for the fertilizer to work into the soil structure.
Now to make your potato beds. Dig a trench 6 inches deep and the width of your shovel. Sprinkle 2oz of your potato fertilizer for each metre length of your trench. Again gently fork the fertilizer into the soil in the bottom of the trench.
If you have problems with slugs in your garden them now would be the time to add slug pellets to the trench following the recommended dosage from the manufactuer or use nemaslug which are nematodes designed to attack slugs and stop the problem.
Now to plant your potatoes. First earlies should be planted 12"apart along your drill and the space between drills should be around 24".
Second earlies and maincrops can be planted 15" apart with a space of 28" between the drills.
Now that you have your potatoes in the ground simply use the soil that you had already taken out of the trench and carefully scatter it on top of the potatoes until the trench is once again flat.
Once the potatoes start to grow through the top of the drill you should then start to earth up.
Earthing up is best done with a garden hoe. The aim is to form a peaked ridge with the loose soil at the edge of the trench to prevent your potatoes turning green which would make them inedible.
This might be required 2/3 times a season.

Seed Potato Growing Instructions for First Earlies, Second Earlies and Maincrop

2010-12-21T19:40:00.000Z

Seed Potato Growing Instructions for First Earlies, Second Earlies and Maincrop

After purchase carefully empty seed potato contents into shallow boxes or trays,egg boxes or apple trays are ideal. Keep away from frost and store in a cool area.
6 weeks before you want to plant your early potatoes you should move your potatoes into a light area of about 10 degrees celsius to produce a strong, thick sprout, making sure that the potatoes are rose eye upwards.
The potatoes will turn green when exposed to the light but do not worry as this is normal. If you wish to grow large potatoes you can carefully cut out some of the eyes on the potatoes so that only a few chits are formed and the potato will produce larger but fewer tubers.
If you wish to grow many small tubers to eat like baby potatoes then leave all the eyes intact and plant the potatoes at half the distances shown below.
How to prepare the bed
With the use of a garden fork simply turn the soil over and work in some well rotted manure to provide essential nutrients for your potatoes. If you are unable to use manure then specialized potato fertilizer can be used but the fertilizer should be placed below the potato and a layer of soil or compost put in between so that the potato roots grow down into the soil to establish properly.
The potato bed should be a trench about 4-6 inches deep and you place the potato into the trench and cover with soil so that good peak is formed. I have videos below that you can follow for even more information.
First Earlies can be planted 12" (30cm) apart with 24" (60cm) between each row.
Second Earlies and Maincrop can be planted 15" (37.5cm) apart in row widths of 28" (70cm).
Always make sure the eyes are facing upwards and planted at a depth of between 4-6" (10-15cm).
Watch a video on how to plant potatoes.
Watch a video on how to earth up potatoes.
Grow seed potatoes in a container.
You will need a container of around 40 litres to grow a good crop of potatoes from 5 seed potatoes.Make sure your container has adequate drainage holes in the bottom.
Do not use garden soil. You can buy good general purpose compost from a garden centre.
Add a layer of 15cm or 6 inches of your compost to the bottom of the container.Place your seed potatoes with the eyes upwards about 5cm or 2inches into the compost.
Your potatoes will require water and fertilizer. The key to growing potatoes is the correct amount of water, not too much at first but once they are 16" high they should be kept moist.
Potatoes grow upwards so cover your potatoes with more compost as the weeks go by and your crops get bigger to stop the crop turning green and render them inedible.
Watch a video on how to harvest potatoes.
When to plant: The normal time to plant potatoes is mid-late March dependant on weather conditions.
Harvest times: Subject to weather and climate.
First Earlies: 10-12 weeks
Second Earlies: 13-15 weeks
Maincrop: 15-22 weeks

Fertilizer:
Apply 135g/sq.m (4oz per sq.yd) to the soil before planting and gently work into the soil.
For container growing add at a rate of 140g/sq.m (4oz/sq.yd) Equivalent pot size is 30cm (12in) diameter pot - 35g. 38cm (15in) diameter pot - 50g. 50cm(20in) diameter pot - 80g.
For our grower bags we would recommend adding 180g.
THE FIVE MAIN SOIL TYPES
LOAM- A loamy soil is the ideal blend of clay and sand. It has the advantage of two types and none of their disadvantages. The presence of sand allows the water to percolate through quickly and the presence of the clay helps to keep the soil moist.
CLAY- This a smooth silky soil to touch and even when it is well drained it is inclined to be cold and wet. This type of soil should be worked in the autumn and left over the winter to break down.
SANDY- A sandy soil is light and easy to cultivate with a fork. It is a warm soilbecause it accepts the sun's rays much more easily. Sandy soils require plenty of organic matter as they are low in plant nutrients.
PEATY SOIL- Some times referred to as mossland peaty soil can become waterlogged and contain very little plant food but plenty organic matter. Fertilizers must be used with this soil type to maximise results.
LIMEY SOILS- Chalky or limey soil is usually shallow. It is lacking in humus and plant food, such soils are dry and sticky and unpleasant to cultivate when wet. Plants growing in these conditions can often suffer from stunted growth and lime induced chlorosis. Growing potatoes in limey soils is not highly recommended.

Seed Potato Catalogue - Heritage Seed Potatoes

2010-12-21T19:38:00.002Z

Seed Potato Catalogue - Heritage Seed Potatoes

Jamieson Brothers have the largest unique range of Heritage/Conservation potatoes in the Uk. More info...
We grow all of our own heritage potatoes and supply them to many other retailers.
Some of these potatoes pre-date the 1900s and have their own unique taste qualities to give you the taste like they used to feeling that so many people ask for.

Seed Potato Catalogue - First Early

2010-12-21T19:38:00.000Z

Seed Potato Catalogue - First Early

Join the new potato forum - www.growingpotatoes.co.uk - The best place to talk about potatoes. Potatoes are classified according to the length of time they take to mature, but this can be influenced by weather. First early potatoes mature in 60-110 days. Planted towards the end of March, they are ready for lifting from late June or early July. Potatoes can be planted from mid March onwards as a rough guide dependent on weather. More info...
Compared to maincrop potatoes, first and second earlies are lower yielding, usually have smaller tubers, need less space and escape some of the diseases, such as blight.
They are generally eaten as soon as harvested - enjoyed as 'new potatoes' - while maincrop cultivars can either be used fresh from the ground or stored for winter use in hessian sacks.
Our 2.5kg packs contain approximately 25-30 tubers graded at 35mm x 60mm. All stock updated on a weekly basis.
How to grow potatoes

Arran Pilot | First Early | Seed Potato Catalogue

2010-12-21T19:37:00.000Z

Arran Pilot First Early Seed Potato Catalogue

Arran Pilot is the nation's favourite garden-grown variety. Arran Pilot has been around since 1930 and has remained popular due to its excellent taste and early boiling ability.
Pilot produces high yields of white skinned tubers with shallow eyes. The flesh is pure white and is among the best boilers available.
Great resistance to all forms of scab and scores a high 9 for spraing resistance.
Culinary uses are boiling and chipping.

Cristmas Presents Despatched

2010-12-16T17:44:00.000Z

We have had to take the only chance we have before Christmas to send out the parcels that were requested as Christmas presents. They should all be delivered before the big day and hopefully that will let people give them out as presents.

It has to be the coldest start to a potato season ever and things will have to warm up quickly so that we can keep sending the orders out.

New look to the website

2010-11-26T13:22:00.001Z

We have now completed the next stage of development to our products section as you can see here http://www.jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk/maincrop/harlequin-p342.html

We now have a brand new potato calculator that allows you to enter the area that you wish to plant with potatoes and it will tell you how many you can fit in that area. Another leading idea by JBA.
We now have a planting and harvesting calender for each variety plus some more useful notes about them.

You can now use social networking on our site and let your friends know about us on Twitter, Facebook and other useful sources.

Another feature is that you can read and write reviews about all of our varieties and tell us how you got on with your chosen varieties.

Cheapest Potato Planter Kits Online

2010-11-04T21:20:00.000Z

We have just launched a new range of potato planter kits at the best price possible. In each kit you receive 15 seed potatoes and 3 potato planter bags for an amazing £9,95.

But we do not stop there as we then give you another potato planter bag and 5 seed potatoes FREE.

This has to be the best deal ever for these products.

All you have to do is buy some cheap compost and you can enjoy fresh potatoes for many months.

JBA Seed Potatoes on Facebook

2010-10-17T09:41:00.000+01:00

You can now follow us on facebook.
We will post all sorts of relevant potato information on there for you to share with your friends.

Sarpo Mira | Seed Potatoes | Seed Potato Catalogue

2010-10-13T14:18:00.000+01:00

Sarpo Mira Seed Potatoes Seed Potato Catalogue

Sarpo Mira Scottish seed potatoes are now available from JBA seed potatoes.
A great blight resistant variety.

New Potato Forum Online Now

2010-09-13T12:54:00.000+01:00

After lots of work from the tireless Yabba we are pleased to announce that http://www.growingpotatoes.co.uk/ is up and running.
This is the only dedicated potato forum that we know of and you can discuss anything you like about potatoes on it.
We will constantly update the features and articles on the forum so give it a go and join for free.

JBA POTATOES WIN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

2010-09-04T15:59:00.002+01:00

Another great result for JBA seed potatoes that have been grown by world champion grower Sherie Plumb.
Her 6 plates of potatoes which consisted of 6 potatoes on each plate took the title back down to Essex.
The star varieties that she used were Winston - NVS Sherine - NVS Amour - Blue Belle - Nadine and Kestrel.
I think that next year people will be growing lots of these varieties plus the new white show potato Casablanca.
Every potato class winner had been supplied their seed potatoes by us which proves our point that we sell the best seed potatoes available on the market.

Shop Now Open For 2011 Season Pre-Orders

2010-08-30T20:55:00.000+01:00

The shop is now open again to pre-order next seasons 2011 seed potatoes.
We have a huge range of 5 packs and we have many exclusive varieties in our heritage potato range.

Our best offer just now is the Medwyn Williams collection which are all in packs of 5 tubers.
These are the same varieties that Medwyn used to win the Chelsea flower show.
You can save £3 by ordering the complete kit.

Our new website http://www.seedpotatomerchants.co.uk/ is going from strength to strength with 220 new customers signed up to it. Many garden centres, allotment societies and retailers are switching to the JBA brand as we offer top quality seed direct to them when they need them.
Our 24/7 ordering system allows the customers to constantly update their order and notification is sent when the order is dispatched.
Get your business or allotment society to sign up for free at http://www.seedpotatomerchants.co.uk/ and receive a free quotation.

2010/2011 SEED POTATO PRICES

2010-07-08T15:42:00.000+01:00

Our 2010/11 new season potato prices are available online at http://www.seedpotatomerchants.co.uk/
This site is dedicated to Wholesalers, Garden Centres, Allotment societies and retailers.
Simply creat an account and we will offer you custom made prices for your business.

Potatoes In Potato Planter Bags

2010-06-30T15:17:00.000+01:00

My potatoes are doing really well in the potato planter bags.
I have 5 different varieties in bags outside my house and at the moment the Ulster Classic look to be the best.

I think they will be ready for harvesting in the next week or so.

The Season Is Over

2010-06-03T15:13:00.000+01:00

The potato season is now over and we are sold out of our regular seed potatoes for 2009/2010.
The good news is that we are now selling Christmas seed potatoes for you to plant in the summer so that you can harvest yummy new potatoes for your Christmas dinner.
We have the largest choice of varieties and the best prices to match.
Give them a try.

JBA seed potatoes used to win Chelsea Flower show 2010

2010-05-26T22:16:00.000+01:00

What a great result for Medwyn Williams at Chelsea this year to win the RHS Presidents award for the best in show.
Using seed potatoes supplied by JBA Medwyn put forward his best ever display of potatoes.
It strongly backs up our commitment of providing the best seed potatoes on the market today.

BBC News - Anglesey gardener wins top award at Chelsea Show

2010-05-25T23:21:00.000+01:00

BBC News - Anglesey gardener wins top award at Chelsea Show

Medwyn meeting the stars at Chelsea.

Daily Post North Wales - News - North Wales News - Llanfairpwll man Medwyn Williams wins President's Award at Chelsea Flower Show

2010-05-25T23:16:00.000+01:00

Pictures: London - Latest Photos | Medwyn Williams of Medwyns of Anglesey, who won a gold award for his vegetable produce, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, central London.

2010-05-25T17:37:00.000+01:00

Pictures: London - Latest Photos | Medwyn Williams of Medwyns of Anglesey, who won a gold award for his vegetable produce, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, central London.

Medwyn Williams has won another Gold medal for his top vegetables at Chelsea 2010.
This year he had his best ever potatoes on show and we are pleased to have supplied Medwyn with the seed.

Medwyn also won the Presidents award for the best exhibition display in the Pavillion which is a great achievement.

Well done to everyone involved in this venture back to Chelsea Flower Show.

JBA film at the Cannes film Festival

2010-05-24T22:52:00.000+01:00

Yes you did read the title correctly. A new film that was shot on location around Annan with the aid of JBA for authentic potato equuipment and harvesting has been shown at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Playing the leading tractor driver was our very own Robert Barbour.

Here are some links to the film: Native Son at Cannes

Native Son Scottish screen

News from Kirsty Strain about the film
Director Scott Graham

I am really looking forward to seeing this when it becomes available.

Christmas Potatoes, Summer Potatoes or Second Cropping Potatoes

2010-04-08T19:25:00.000+01:00

What ever you call these potatoes we have them for sale.
Already many of the top UK garden centre groups have placed orders for their summer potatoes as they will be a key part of their summer displays in the shops.

We have the largest selection of anyone and our selection includes Charlotte,Kestrel,Maris Peer,Nicola,Pentland Javelin,Carlingford and Maris Bard. We also have an ever expanding online selection for you to choose your perfect Christmas potatoes.

JBA Seed Potatoes on Beechgrove Garden

2010-04-07T16:29:00.000+01:00

Make it a date:

Wednesday 7th April 2010, at 7pm on BBC Scotland...

Some of our seed potatoes are featuring on the programme...

How to get the most out of Summer planted potatoes

2010-03-26T13:19:00.004Z

Medwyn Williams gives you a full run down on how to grow potatoes for Christmas in potato planter bags.
The interview took place at Gardenwise of Dumfries at the potato day we held there.
This video makes the job of growing potatoes as easy as possible.

Potato Day is a Huge Success

2010-03-15T21:34:00.001Z

Our second potato day at Gardenwise has been a great success with the garden centre breaking his own till records with a bumper sale of seed potatoes over the weekend.
There was alot of people who had travelled a long distance to hear our guest speaker Medwyn Williams give an informed talk about potatoes and other vegetables.
All in all it was a great weekend and we want to says thanks to everyone that turned out.
We will have a video of the day on our youtube channel soon.

Big Potato Weekend

2010-03-09T21:27:00.001Z

The big potato weekend is almost here.
Our Guest star Medwyn Williams will be present on Sunday to offer all keen gardeners some top tips on how to grow bumper crops. With his wealth of information I am sure you will learn alot from him. It is open to the public and there is no entry fee.
The event is being held at Gardenwise in Dumfries http://www.gardenwise-dumfries.co.uk/
Come along and enjoy the day with us.

New Display Stands

2010-02-23T21:05:00.000Z

Here is a first look at the new JBA display stands.
Each stand can hold over 200 pack of 2.5kg nets and will be available for the 2010/2011 season.
These stands will allow the customer to have easy access to each variety whilst taking up the smallest amount of valuable floor space possible.

Let The Chitting Begin

2010-02-20T21:34:00.001Z

Today I managed to get a chance to prepare my seed potatoes for chitting.
I have around 100 varieties that I will grow using my simple polypot system.

I like to keep things organised so I put them all in trays and seperate them with cardboard that has the variety name written on.

I think my favourites are the NVS Amour and the Pink Duke of York look tremendous.

The secret to chitting is to remove the Rose eyes from the potato and leave the side shoots to grow.

JBA Keeping Up With Demand

2010-02-17T18:49:00.000Z

Today we sent out the last of pre-orders and are up to date with all orders.
In a year that has seen our business quadruple in size it has been a huge achievement to get all the orders out on time as promised.

We are now looking to the future and will be looking for highly skilled staff to join us.

If you think a career in seed potatoes would be of interest then send me an email with all your details on my contact form on my website.

JBA Seed Potatoes Magazine Feature

2010-02-04T20:47:00.000Z

I rushed down to the shops today to buy the latest edition of Kitchen Garden magazine. I ripped it open and found a 4 page spread all about our company and what we do here. It is a great read so get down to your local newsagent and buy the March edition now.

Gardening Express switch to JBA

2010-01-08T18:59:00.000Z

I am delighted to say that we have yet another new customer who will now stock our superior JBA seed potatoes. Gardening Express who are the no1 online plant and flower retailer have been attracted by our vast variety selection and you can view them here Garden Express Potatoes

Charlotte Is The BEST Tasting Salad Potato

2009-12-31T11:48:00.000Z

News hot off the press from Which Gardening is that Charlotte has came out tops for taste beating off competition from Vivaldi, Belle De Fontenay and many other salad type potatoes.
I found their magazine to be a great read and because it is totally independant they just tell it like it is.
This will be bad news for alot of companies who have spent fortunes marketing potatoes as being the best tasting, only for them to be beaten by Charlotte.

King of Blight Resistance

2009-12-28T19:31:00.000Z

I have been doing alot of studying about potatoes over the festive holidays and I can now reveal that the most blight resistant potato available on the market today is Setanta. Now there is no need to make any jokes about them going bust because if anything they are in very short supply.

Believe me, by next year these potatoes will be the ones that you are reading about and watching on the tv.

Not many retailers know about these potatoes yet but for the next season I expect it to be a major player in the horticultural market.

Setanta has excellent cooking and taste qualities.

If I can find anymore exciting varieties then I will post them up soon.

Polypots

2009-11-24T22:11:00.000Z

Now I am going to give you all a top tip that I have learned about growing potatoes. Grow potatoes in polypots and you will find it so much easier. There are some videos about this on my potato blog and youtube channel and I found the results to be excellent.

The idea is simple really. In the cold months when you have nothing to do you mix up your compost mix. For this I would recommend a good general purpose compost available from any good garden centre.
Now my mix is 16oz of TEV4 added to 100 litres of compost. A builders bucket is around 15 litres and I use one to measure the compost out.

You may also wish to add 12oz of Nutrimate to this mix which will give you the ultimate growing medium for your potatoes. The TEV4 and Nutrimate can also be used throughout your garden with great results and I am doing them at bargain prices because you are buying in bulk that will last for years. The results I had from one seed potato in a polypot that contained 17 litres of my compost mix were tremendous.

I averaged 2.5kg of eating potatoes per bag and when I wanted to eat some you just went out to the garden and lifted a bag then simply emptied the bag out and tucked in to some delicious fresh potatoes. My maincrop ones were just as easy but I decided to store them so all I did was chop the haulms off and place them into my greenhouse and they are still there perfectly fresh in the dry compost. If you are going to store them this way then ensure that the compost is as dry as dust.

This method was so simple for me and my pregnant wife who could harvest potatoes easily when she needed them. The only preparation I had to do was mix the compost, work the soil where the polypots were going and add fertilizer to that area and I added some extra holes to the bags with the aid of a paper punch so that the roots could absorb the nutrients from the soil that the bags sat on. I also purchased a white marker pen from an arts and craft shop so that I could write the variety name onto each bag and avoid mix ups. Again watch the polypot videos and see how easy it is.

If you have no garden then simply use the compost mix in the green potato planters. A top tip for the green potato planters is to only use 2 or 3 potatoes and you will actually harvest larger crops of potatoes because there is less competition for space.

Potato sundries

2009-11-24T22:09:00.000Z

We are now stocking more sundries for potatoes. This will be the last year that I can buy Dithane 945 as it is to be withdrawn from the market place once current stocks run out. This is due to new legislation from the EU so now is the time to stock up so that you can prevent potato blight for a few years at least.

We have a massive stock of hessian sacks and they are at a great price. They are great for storing potatoes or collecting leaves in to make leaf mulch.
Our green potato planter bags are also proving to be a massive success and can also be used as a very handy shopping bag due to their size and strength.

Minitubers

2009-11-24T22:06:00.000Z

We have a huge selection of minitubers online this year and again they are the same as the NVS varieties you can grow your own seed potatoes from these high grade tubers for 9 generations. We have some really great varieties such as Blue Kestrel, Arran Comrade, Heather, Purple Eyed Seedling, Bishop and we have a selection of varieties that we have grown from minitubers such as the amazing Salad Blue which has blue flesh and Highland Burgundy Red which has red flesh. Give them a try and you will be as amazed as I was when you harvest them.

The rest of the online shop is fully stocked and we have one of the largest and most unique ranges available.
Many of our varieties are now proving so popular that many other retailers are now selling our range and we are glad to be supplying Alan Romans who works very hard to promote unusual and rare potatoes with our conservation varieties.

Exhibition potatoes

2009-11-24T22:04:00.000Z

Now onto the potatoes. We have a limited number of exclusive potato varieties this year to mark the 50th Anniversary of the National Vegetable Society. We call these varieties NVS Amour and NVS Sherine and they are the most sought after varieties by exhibition growers. The stock we have is the highest grade possible and comes in the form of minitubers. To give you an idea of size most of these exclusive tubers are about the same size as a golf ball and will enable you to grow your own seed potatoes from them for at least 9 generations provided they are kept disease free. We use these minitubers ourselves to produce seed potatoes so you can by with total confidence.

If you join the National Vegetable Society you can enter a competition we are running next year where there is a prize fund of £375 for the person who produces the best plate of 5 NVS Amour or NVS Sherine.
Joining the NVS also gives you exclusive access to the members area forum where you can learn all sorts of top tips from expert growers and ask any questions you have about growing top quality vegetables.

Guide to growing potatoes

2009-11-24T22:01:00.000Z

Well, the nights have drawn in and the temperature is cooling down.

At night there is not much else to do but watch TV or read through some of the seed catalogues that are now out for next season.
Well I have some good news for you because we here at Jamieson Brothers have produced a new Guide To Potatoes booklet. In this illustrated catalogue we have gone into great detail to provide you with all the information you could need about growing a successful potato crop. It has pictures of every variety we do and gives you a break down on cooking qualities and disease resistance of each variety. This is a bargain at £3.99 and will be a great stocking filler for Christmas.

New Potato Guide Book Released

2009-11-17T18:27:00.000Z

I have released my first book entitled Guide to Potatoes which is full of illustrated pictures and guides on how to grow and harvest potatoes. It has our full range of potatoes in that you can purchase from us and has star ratings for pest and disease resistance.
Just follow the link and learn a bit more Guide to Potatoes

Minitubers are a great success

2009-11-14T18:00:00.000Z

Today I sold the first of my minituber stock to the members of the national vegetable society and it was a great success. Many commented on how large the tubers were and thought it was a great idea to bring back these varieties so that they can grow them again. The most popular variety was NVS Amour followed closely by NVS Sherine.

Potato Day in 2010 at Gardenwise

2009-11-10T21:03:00.000Z

We have arranged to hold another potato day at Gardenwise of Dumfries next year on Sunday the 14th of March. We will have our full range of potatoes on display and we will have special guest star MR MEDWYN WILLIAMS who will be on hand to answer all questions related to producing top quality veg. He will also do a couple of talks on the day so you can benefit from his wealth of knowledge. Everyone is welcome so put this date into your diary and come and enjoy the day with us.

Exclusive minitubers on sale now

2009-11-03T18:32:00.000Z

I have just put my exclusive minitubers NVS Amour and NVS Sherine on sale now here.

Potato harvest finished

2009-10-16T08:24:00.000+01:00

The end of the 2009 potato harvest is here. We lifted the pink fir apple yesterday which was a big job due to the size and shape of the tubers. Many of the tubers simple fell through the webs on the harvester back onto the ground so there was 5 of us walking behind filling baskets like the old days. Pink fir apple will be very scarce this year as will many other varieties but what we have lifted is very good quality.

Today will be back to office jobs. We have lots of online retailers and gardening groups that are now switching to the JBA brand because of our superior quality.

This is the first time we have allowed anyone to stock our conservation potatoes but we are pleased to supply Alan Romans with them as he has a great knowledge of potatoes.

Keep your eyes peeled for our brand this year.

Harvest almost finished

2009-10-13T18:10:00.000+01:00

Well it is almost the end of another harvest and all I can say is it can't end soon enough.
It has been the wettest year ever here and we have been delayed for over a month.
Next week we will get a weeks holiday and then it is straight back to grading potatoes as our first orders go out in November.

What we harvested today

2009-09-18T22:18:00.000+01:00

Yet another busy day. Today we harvested Bonnie Dundee, Cardinal, Flourball, Ulster Classic, Ulster Sovereign, Dobbies Asset, Doon Peril, Lord Rosebery, Tuskar, Ryecroft Purple, Dark Red Norland, Peach Bloom, Edgecote Purple, Beauty of Bute, Pentland Lustre, Gladstone, Highland Burgandy Red, Purple King Edward and Estima.

It was a really busy day but well worth it.

Tomorrow we will be lifting some Pentland Javelin.

Charlotte are great potatoes

2009-09-15T18:34:00.000+01:00

We have had one of our best crops ever of Charlotte seed potatoes.
The crop are a very seedy sample and have a great skin finish.
Charlotte are now the most popular UK salad potato and it is easy to see why.

Harvesting has started

2009-09-10T19:48:00.000+01:00

Finally we have started to harvest next seasons potatoes.
We have cleared a small field of Pentland Javelin and we are now onto Arran Pilot which are a very seedy sample.
I will keep you updated as the harvesting continues.

NVS potato champion

2009-09-07T08:43:00.000+01:00

Here are some pictures of the winning plates of potatoes at the 2009 national vegetable society show as exhibited by the Plumb family.
An outstanding plate of Kestrel above. Winston at the top of the page.

Getting ready for Harvesting

2009-09-01T21:32:00.000+01:00

As the new season approaches our team of mechanics have been busy servicing all of our machines to ensure a quick and trouble free harvest. If the weather drys up it will take us around 8 weeks to harvest all of our potatoes.
I am looking forward to seeing the results of the minitubers that we planted.
The Shetland Black have grown a massive crop as have the Salad blue and Highland Burgandy Red.

Blight- Not impressed

2009-08-18T18:07:00.000+01:00

Well this year I grew some Rooster in my garden and they are the only ones that have taken blight. I am seriously annoyed as they should have better resistance than the Kestrel that are growing next to them. The Kestrel are 100% free.

As for taste results this year I tried some Vivaldi and thought they were just average for taste.

Now for some good news.

I tried some Ulster Prince for my tea tonight and they were very nice. Slightly wet to eat but they stayed in one peace after boiling.

I will be making a video soon of my results of growing potatoes in bags which I think you will all be surprised with the results.

JBA shop open for 2010

2009-08-15T21:32:00.000+01:00

Tonight I have opened the JBA shop for you to pre order for the 2010 season.
We will be adding more varieties and options for you to enjoy purchasing the highest grade potatoes possible for you to buy.

Take a look and see what you think.

The end of the season

2009-08-05T17:49:00.000+01:00

At midnight on Sunday we will be ending the sale of our Christmas potatoes.
If you still need to buy some then you should act quickly.

Now for some good news. We will be opening up the shop to take pre orders for next seasons potatoes.

Once again we will have the largest choice available online and we will be supplying many of the large UK garden centre groups with our potatoes.

Keep a look out for our unique heritage range of potatoes online and in store at a garden centre near you.

Full Blight Warning

2009-06-28T16:24:00.000+01:00

I have just received notice of a full smith period which means that blight is now a real possibility. The best thing you can now do is spray your haulms with Dithane or Bordeux mix to protect your crops. Once you have blight there is no cure so prevention is the key. Try and spray at a time when the mixtures can be absorbed into the haulms and not be washed off by rain.

Potatoes growing well

2009-06-24T17:13:00.000+01:00

Well the potatoes are growing well. We have now sprayed them twice for blight and the haulms are nice and healthy. We are in desperate need of water because the potatoes are now beginning to form and too much heat will damage the skins and produce potatoes with scabs on. This will nit effect how the potatoes grow but spoils the look of them and leads to more waste.

Grow potatoes in compost bags

2009-06-08T17:24:00.000+01:00

Testing for blight

2009-06-08T17:22:00.000+01:00

Potatoes need water

2009-06-08T17:20:00.000+01:00

More Potato Growth updates

2009-05-28T23:03:00.001+01:00

What a difference a couple of weeks can make to your potatoes. A wet spell followed by a few days of heat and things have doubled in size.

My exhibition potatoes are doing well in their 17 litre polypots. They were just starting to dry out so I had to water them last week just to keep them ticking over.

The potatoes in the compost bags are doing really well and they tend to retain more moisture in the bigger bags.

Best of all though are the ones in the potato planter bags. They are steaming ahead of anything else and I think the increased ventilation all the way around the bag is certainly helping growth.

As an experiment I have now planted 3 Swift, 3 Rocket and 3 Charlotte in the potato planter bags to compare the crop size of the bags that contain 5 seed potatoes.

Jamieson Brothers Potato Planter Barrels

2009-05-09T10:47:00.000+01:00

Here is how well the 5 potatoes i planted in a potato planter have got on last week and this week. I have only topped the bag up twice. I think the secret is to only water once when the shoots pop through and then add 6" of dry compost on top. When the shoots appear again add more water and top up with dry compost.

Potatoes Growing Nicely

2009-05-09T10:42:00.001+01:00

Here is an update on the potatoes that I planted in polypots for exhibition use this year. They have grown really fast and now the roots are established into the ground through the holes in the bottom of the bag. A simple and effective system of growing potatoes.

World Champion potato grower uses JBA seed potatoes

2009-05-05T19:43:00.000+01:00

Yet more good news for us here at Jamieson Brothers as world champion exhibition potato grower is now using our highest quality seed potatoes. We would like to wish the Plumb family all the best in their bid for success on the showbench this year.
If you would like to see the type of potatoes chosen by exhibition growers click on the link exhibition potatoes

Sponsorship

2009-05-02T14:48:00.000+01:00

Jamieson Brothers are to sponsor many of the potato classes at the NVS shows this year. For more information on the NVS have a look here NVS

Rained Off

2009-05-01T20:53:00.001+01:00

Well yet more rain today has stopped planting but we will be back out next week and soon make up for lost time.
It is immpossible to plant potatoes in the rain as all the soil sticks to the machines and does not make a proper bed for the potatoes. Compaction is also another problem with working on wet ground.

JBA In Garden News

2009-04-28T18:13:00.000+01:00

Well I just bought the April 28th issue of Garden News and Medwyn Williams who is one of the greatest vegetable growers in the world has written a whole article on me and my family run company.
I had better not tell you all what the article says but it is very good and I hope you all get a chance to read it.

Back out in the garden

2009-04-26T20:44:00.001+01:00

Back out into the garden today and decided I should plant some left over Pixie in a small area of ground in the corner of the garden. It was so simple to do. I simply dug a trench 10 feet long and popped a potato in every 12 inches apart and covered with soil.

Delivery updates

2009-04-25T23:17:00.000+01:00

In the next week or so we hope to have a flat rate postage system for upto 20kg in place for N.Ireland and all other areas that are normally much costlier to post to.

Planting Potatoes update

2009-04-25T22:24:00.000+01:00

Well we have got off to a good start this year with our commercial seed planting. We are over halfway and have 100 acres planted so far. This time last year we hadn't even started so we are very happy with the progress this year. So far we have planted Arran Pilot, Home Guard, Pentland Javelin, Duke of York, Sharpes Express, Maris Bard, Catriona, Nicola, Wilja, Ulster Classic, Ulster Sovereign, Ulster Prince, Ulster Sceptre, Lord Rosebery, Edgecote Purple, Ryecroft Purple, Gladstone, Pentland Lustre, Peach Bloom, Dark Red Norland, Beauty of Bute, Tuskar, Dobbies Asset, Doon Pearl, Flourball and a few more special ones this year.

In my own Garden I have today planted Highland Burgandy Red, Congo, Purple King Edward(Mr Littles Yetholm Gypsey) Salad Blue, Shetland Black, Witchill, British Queen and some Bonnie for showing.

Growing potatoes in containers is so easy to do. Give it a try and use my videos to help you have a successful crop.

Garden potatoes

2009-04-18T19:52:00.000+01:00

I planted my exhibition potatoes in the garden today.

It was so easy to do.

I dug a 4" deep trench that is the width of my shovel and broke the soil up at the bottom.

I then added fertilizer to the base of the trench and forked it in.

The potato bags were then put in place and the soil was filled back in around the bags and finally I gave them a heavy watering.

The potato bags have holes cut in the bottom of them to allow the root system to use the fertilizer that I have added to the soil.

JBA website back online

2009-04-15T14:44:00.000+01:00

As you might have noticed the JBA website has been offline for a few days. This was not to do with any updates to the site but caused by our dedicated fasthosts server failing. We hope all issues have now been resolved and that you can carry on using our site without problem.

JBA now on iplayer

2009-04-11T10:22:00.000+01:00

Here is the link to see my spuds on iplayer. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00js9w0/Gardeners_World_2009_Episode_2/
Fast forward to 51mins.

JBA seed potatoes on Gardeners World

2009-04-10T21:46:00.000+01:00

As I watched tonights show with interest I thought to myself there will be no potatoes on here tonight. Then as if by magic my potatoes appeared on the tv. Maris Peer, Maris Piper, International Kidney and Swift were all on and I hope more will be on soon.

New JBA products

2009-04-09T21:41:00.000+01:00

I have been looking at adding new potato varieties to my online shop.
Are there any varieties that you think I should stock?
We mainly sell our potatoes in 2.5kg sack but I also sell 5 tubers of a variety aswell. Is there any other pack size that you think we should offer?
Just leave me some comments and feel free to give me any ideas that you have.
Our potato planter bags have been a huge success and you can access videos of how to use them by clicking on the videos on the right of the screen.

Planting potatoes

2009-04-04T09:12:00.000+01:00

I read on many different gardening forums every day when should I plant my earlies and my maincrops? The simple answer is that you should plant them all at the same time if possible and let nature take its course.
Earlies are called earlies because they mature earlier than maincrops.
Maincrops take longer to mature than earlies so to make the most of them and avoid blight as much as possible you should plant them early.

Busy day in the greenhouse

2009-03-22T13:38:00.000Z

Hard at work today preparing my peat for planting my exhibition seed potatoes. I put my peat through a shredder and add 16oz of Vitax Q4 qnd 12oz of calcified seaweed to the mix as it comes out of the shredder. I have 17litre polypots that I fill with this mixture and I use a white marker pen to write the name of the variety on the bag. I leave the mix for a week then I put my chitted potatoes into the bags. I leave just the 2 strongest chits on the potato and remove all the rose end chits with a sharp knife.
I hope to make it to a few shows this year and have a small display of potatoes for people to view. Does anyone else grow to show?

Hello Followers

2009-03-21T14:26:00.000Z

What are you all upto today then?
Are you all out in your garden enjoying the sunshine?
It is dull and overcast here with fog.
I am going to plant some potatoes in polypots this afternoon and leave in the greenhouse.

New seed potato varieties listed

2009-03-16T20:41:00.000Z

The Jamieson Brothers website has had 8 more varieties added to the maincrop section. Many of these are only for sale on our website so take at look at NEW varieties added.
We have also added a new section for heritage mini-tubers. These mini-tubers are totally disease free and are what we professionals use to produce our high grade seed.

Planting instructions on youtube

2009-03-16T20:38:00.000Z

This weekend I put together some simple videos about how to plant your potatoes in containers.
You can watch it here at potatospecialist and see how we plant our seed potatoes in the fields for you to enjoy.

JBA website updated

2009-03-10T16:51:00.001Z

Today we have updated and remodelled the website to make it easier for everyone to use and navigate on. Ou pages have been merged into one page for each section and all stock has been updated. Take a look at www.jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk to see what I mean.

Potato Weekend Success

2009-03-08T20:29:00.000Z

Jamieson Brothers potato weekend at Garden wise garden centre in Dumfries has been a huge success. We had 500 people through the doors on Saturday and today we had just over 600 which shows the demand for grow your own potatoes. We hope to hold the same event at Garden wise next year and have over 100 varieties for sale over the weekend.
Our vintage varieties were in great demand with many of them selling out within an hour.
Let us hope that we have a nice summer and that everyones potatoes grow well.

Planting Potatoes in Containers

2009-03-03T20:58:00.000Z

As the planting season approaches I thought I would give you a quick guide to how I would grow potatoes in containers.What you will need-
3/5 seed potatoes
A container
Multi-purpose compost
45grams of fertilizer from any good garden store for each container.

Start off by using a clean container and mix your fertilizer into the compost you are going to use. Most containers will be 30-40 litres for this guide if they are bigger add 15grams of fertilizer to every 10litres of compost.Now simply fill the bottom 4 inches of your container with your newly mixed compost and add your potatoes to it.
Try and evenly space your potatoes out in the container and gently push them half way in.Add a further 2 inches of compost ontop of the potatoes so that they are nicely covered.
Now comes the shocking part DO NOT water them for a week!!Yes I can hear you saying that I am crazy but the compost will contain moisture and what we want is the root system to go down into the bottom 4 inches and establish a good root system. Watering straight away will encourage the roots to go up the way.
Watering is key with potatoes and a small amount every day is better than a big amount once a week. Never saturate the compost as this will do more harm than good. Moist is the key word here.As the potatoes grow and the shoots appear simply keep adding more of you pre-mixed compost to your container to cover the potatoes but allow the shoots to grow by not adding too much compost and cause compaction.
The main thing to avoid is compacting the compost as this will slow the growth of the potatoes as you will create unhealthy anaerobic conditions.
Your average first early will be ready in 9 weeks in ideal conditions.
I think that should cover it for you.
I will make a video soon for you all to watch

Potato Days

2009-03-01T19:05:00.000Z

Well I went to my first potato day at Kelso which was run by the Border Organic club.
I had given them a supply of my own unique vintage potatoes and they all were sold out in less than an hour so I was happy with the result. I bought a few tubers of unusual varieties to try myself in some of my grower bags to see if they would be worthy of adding to my stock list.
I also had a great chat with Alan Romans and he will be coming down to see us very soon. The last time I met Alan I was only knee high to a grass hopper and we were filling his car and trailer with our potatoes for him to take back up the road.

We are having our own potato day at Garden wise of Dumfries on Saturday the 7th and Sunday the 8th of March where there will be 50 varieties to buy by the tuber so feel free to come along and enjoy the day with us and ask any questions you might have.