Spuds

[bernhund]

I've had a go at growing some veg this year but I'm totally ignorant when it comes to knowing what to expect. My spuds went in mid/late May but I don't know when they will be ready to dig up. Today I've noticed what look like green tomatoes growing on them! Help!!

[bernhund]

Big Al. said:

When growing pots, you must "Earth up" to keep direct sunlight off the tubers.

I did that early on but now can't get in to add anymore as they're too busy. These tomato type things are high up on the plant among the leaves.

[bernhund]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Are you certain it wasn't toms you planted?!

If you planted earlies, I suspect that they are ready and the flower head has formed a bud, which is the 'tomato' you're seeing. As someone said, dig some up and see.

As an aside, my yields seemed really low this year. I always plant first earlies in big bins, but this year has been a poor crop.

Does 8-10 weeks sound about right?

[bernhund]

I've just been out and had a poke around. I have spuds!

[bernhund]

So what happens now? Do I dig the whole lot up and put them in a bag in a cool dark place? Or just dig some up and leave the plant itself alone to grow more (does that work?). Some of the plants have darker green foliage than others, so is this significant? And why are there some green ones?
The cork in the photo is to give you an indication of size, so from that do the spuds look the right size to have harvested? And finally, if I do dig the whole lot up, plant and all, what would you plant immediately in the same bed?
My apologies for so many questions!

[bernhund]

Willy Nilly said:

bernhund said:

So what happens now? Do I dig the whole lot up and put them in a bag in a cool dark place? Or just dig some up and leave the plant itself alone to grow more (does that work?).

No no no no no never.

What you have growing how is green top new potatoes. If you fancy spuds for tea, get your fork out and dig up what you need for that meal and leave the rest where they are. This is exactly what we do on farms. You get an order for X tonnes, you go out and harvest them and when you have enough, the harvester stops. The harvest date at this time of the year is driven by market prices, but as you're not selling them, if they are the size you want to eat them, then eat them, if not, leave them longer. The small ones tend to taste nicer at his time of the year, but it is entirely up to you.

Later in the year, the time will depend on planting date and variety, the plants will start to sinese (not sure on the spelling, which means mature. The foliage will start to die off and go yellow. The main crop varieties will do this in early September. What you then do it let the completely die off and the cut off the haulm and leave them until the skins have set, so you can't rub the skin off with your thumb. You can safely leave them in the ground, but they are susceptible to frost damage and don't like sitting in wet soil. You then harvest them then leave them in your shed to dry out, once they are dry put them in storage. We used to store them in tonne boxes in a insulated shed. Try and keep them around 8 degrees C. They will want to sprout in the spring. You won't have access to sprout suppressant, so eat them. Until they are ready to store, just dig 'em up as you want them.

bernhund said:

Some of the plants have darker green foliage than others, so is this significant?

If they are different varieties, the foliage will be different shades of green. Nutrition and water will also effect the colour. More fertiliser will make them darker. They will go pale and droopy if they are thirsty.

bernhund said:

And why are there some green ones?

Potatoes are vegetative extensions of the stem and when they come into contact with day like they will start to photosynthesise and go green. To stop this, keep them covered with dirt and when you store them, store them somewhere dark.

bernhund said:

The cork in the photo is to give you an indication of size, so from that do the spuds look the right size to have harvested?

If you like the size of them, they are the right size. We will delay harvesting to allow the crop to bulk up. You are just using them yourself, so it's entirely up to you.

bernhund said:

And finally, if I do dig the whole lot up, plant and all, what would you plant immediately in the same bed?
My apologies for so many questions!

I don't know what you would grow after in an allotment, but remember that the days are getting shorter now, so you want something that will be up and growing quickly. You could probably grow beans or onions, but don't grow potatoes on the same bit of land for at least 5 years, ideally 6. All of your crops should be rotated.

I hope this is of some use.

Well answers don't come better or clearer than that! Thank you.
These are Thompson & Morgan Estima second early pots. I had no idea what 'second early' meant when I bought them and in fact still don't know whether what I have is what would be expected in the time they've been in. Ultimately I suppose it doesn't matter if they have produced a good and tasty yield!