Potato Growing 2024

I suspect they may not store for a prolonged time. I would try to use them reasonably quickly. Certain varieties have resistance to tuber blight even if the tops are affected, others have resistance to foliage blight etc, but if the blight has got into the tubers they won't keep for a long time.

 

Thanks for this information.

 

Taken the wilting tops off the Pink Fir Apples, will lift them in a few days or so, one of my favourite waxy tatties.

 

I'm leaving my PFA until mid September or longer if I can.
Lost one pot due to early blight.

 

Sarpo Mira main-crop - from 2 seed potatoes in 30 litre plastic pot.
Planted 17th March. Harvested today.
Last year we got a much heavier yield, same variety.
Earlier in the year I was a tad poorly and didn't spend much time in the garden, hence the lower yield.
My health has now much improved

 

That's good from just one pot @Cordy - and glad you're better! Is it just a standard compost in the pot? I normally don't bother with potatoes as I have a small veg patch, but your yield from a single pot looks good

 

Hi @CarolineL
I use fresh bought garden compost and add Fish Blood and Bone fertiliser.
I buy a special potato fertiliser from eBay.
Spuds Galore! Blended Potato & Root Vegetable Fertiliser/Plant Feed | 10kg Bag | eBay
If you look back through the Potato thread you will see last years effort which shows much heavier yields.
30 litre pots and 2 seed potatoes is regarded as about right.
Hope this helps.
John

 

@CarolineL
Just found the old thread.
For a really heavy crop try cutting the bottom out of a 30 litre pot, then planting 2 seed potatoes as normal.
Place the pot on soil in the garden.
Potato Growing 2023

 

Thanks @Cordy !

 

July 31st, I planted some seed potatoes for Christmas harvest -- 2 per 30 litre Plastic pot.
The mail order S/Ps looked manky so I didn't expect much.
Surprise surprise !! they are coming on very well.
Variety not recorded Sad Face.

 

Looking for a bit of advice please.
Before going abroad for about 4 months I planted some Setanta later than usual. I planted then deep as knew I would be away when I should have been earthing up.
Anyway post getting home I have had 101 jobs to do and totally forgot to remove the massive halms which I should have done about 2 weeks ago. I came to with a rush today when saw we could be in for a frost.
The halms are now off and I have lifted quite a few which were poking out of the ground through lack of earthing up. Because the halms are so massive only a very few have gone green

My question is normally having taken the halms off I would harvest about 2 weeks later when the skins had started to harden so as to store better.
The ones above are the ones I collected today. The skins are really thin. If I leave them to dry out a bit in the sun….yes the sun is shining, miracle, how long should I wait before putting them in paper sacks and will they store?
Also the crop is enormous, no doubt due to all the flaming rain during the summer. We are due frosts, should I lift the lot now or leave them to let their skins harden and hope the frost is not bad enough to do any harm. I do have some big cardboard boxes which I could collapse and lay over the bed to help protect the crop if that would be a good idea?

 

2 dry days .Do not wash.
Maybe will store, check in 4 weeks intervals
Do you have access to bracken ferns ? or similar light material, straw ?
Slugs likely to be an issue as well as freezing
Maincrop commercial crops are left in ground until required in good soil conditions, if ground prone to flooding/freezing severely, then lift and store in cool airy dark conditions.

 

Thanks @infradig yes enough flaming slugs about when I was removing the halms. Damned things!
I never wash potatoes before storing but good others might see your advice. I don’t wash any veg that I am hoping to store. The ground won’t flood but might get a touch frozen. I could maybe cover with cardboard at night and then lift off during the day. I do have horticultural fleece but the issue with that is having to keep it down which is a bit of a faf.

 

Hi potato experts! I am going to buy 3 or 4 varieties of seed potatoes as a birthday present for my daughter. Slug/blight resistant ones would be good and 1 pack of early ones. Any recommendations? What are your favourites?