Potatoes: A salutary lesson!

I am here to confess.... I screwed my first earlies up big time. I hope I can save some other new gardener from making the same mistakes.

I planted Charlotte and Pentland Javelin in 2 seperate bins, 4 tubers to a bin. I earthed up as they went, and I watered every couple of dry days, a watering can to each bin. (That always feels like a lot of water when you have to carry it!)

1) Lesson number one: A watering can does not drench a dustbin. Get the hosepipe involved.

I also lifted all of my Charlotte way early, having grabbled around the edges, and found some awesome potatoes in the shallows.... once I dug down there was nothing but marble sized potatoes, if that. They say leave first earlies for 13 weeks... I waited 9 weeks.

2) Lesson number 2: Drench your potatoes now and then.... AND WAIT that 13 weeks!

So I wasted my Charlotte plants (I got 2 meals worth from 3 plants.... they were growing so shallow) but hopefully I'll rescue the Pentland. Lots of watering is now going on, and I'll wait 3 more weeks at least.

As I say, the point of this post is to inform others of my mistakes so that they can learn. I'm certainly learning, and that's half the fun as a new veg gardener!
The Charlotte that I did harvest were delicious, the best potatoes I've ever tasted... I'll know in future how to grow more.

 

Thanks for that Canucks. I have planted in containers for the first time and didn't plant until the end of May. They are sprouting up now. I do use the hose and have a rose attachment which is very useful for watering well but gently. According to your 13 week rule mine should be ready at the beginning of September. I have three different varieties
Red Duke of York
Pixie
Charlotte

Five containers wth three seeds in each. Fingers crossed.

When and how often should they be fed? I understand high potash is the thing so would tomato fertiliser be OK?

 

I wouldn't drench them, just keep the soil moist. If the soil is too wet the tatties will rot. That said, there's nowt like a good drenching when they're nearly ready to fat them up a bit before harvest. If you consider spuds growing in a farm, the spuds don't get watered at all except when it rains, and they do ok.

I suspect where you went wrong was simply harvesting too early. As spuds grow, they tend to stay tiny for ages then suddenly bulk out in the last couple of weeks or so.

 

Iknow it's no consolation canucks72 but i made the same mistake with my duke of york,had a scratch round found a couple that were a nice size so i dug a couple of roots up.
Not a good idea like yourself the two i scratched were the two biggest the res like marbles, a lesson in patients needed me thinks n;b. hope you have better luck with the rest
micky v

 

Good post Canucks. And brave of you to admit your impatiance.
I grew tatties in a large dustbin for the first time last year and I have to admit I watered that bin every day I could with 7ltrs (one can full) every day) results were good. I harvested once the greenery had started to die off and the results were rather good. So, as you say, we need to abide by the natures guidelines and dont be in a hurry.
If you missed my little harvesting video and wish to see the results go to

Heres wishing we all have more this year
robert

 

I think if you have a row of potatoes you can harvest one plant (early) and see what the results are. We have quite a long row so have started harvesting even though we are only getting 4 tubers per plant - but by the time we have finished harvesting the Second Earlies will be ready ...

... but I also have 6 containers as an experiment (which were planted later than my in-soil ones) and I am going to let them die down before I harvest them.

In future years I will plant the container ones as early as possible in my cold greenhouse (what date should I do that?)

But I think I'll still stick to letting them die down, or at least go "to term" , before harvesting

 

I always thought you had to wait till they flowered then died down then you lifted them, well thats what my dad used to do mind you I am talking 60 years ago.

 

That's what I've always done. That said, you can pinch a few salad spuds before then if you don't damage the plant.

 

"if we are talking about early spuds then the general consensus is to harvest them when the flowers die off."

I would suggest "dig them up as needed" rather than "harvest them" (which perhaps implies lifting them all and storing?)

 

Kristen, if you want to grow earlies in your containers in the greenhouse you can start them in February and eat them in May.

I've tried planting them in January, they did allright but weren't ready any sooner than the Feb planted ones.

What a shame canucks - but now you know for the future.
To make watering in containers more reliable I drill holes round the sides near the bottom then I can see if water is getting all the way to the bottom.

And if you've emptied a container out only to discover a lot of marbles if you just put them back in again and leave for a couple of weeks they grow on.

 

That's a good tip, thank you.

And thanks to everyone for their commiserations... let's hope it saves someone else from having such a poor harvest as a result of such a schoolboy error! Shame, they were so delicious, hopefully the Pentland will be more plentiful.
Oh and like another member here (Kev I think?) I'm going to plant some more in the empty bin, no harm in trying another set of earlies.

 

You could wait until mid August and then ahve them for Christmas (if you've got somewhere frost-free until, say, End November?

Keep some of your First Early to replant (they need 6 weeks "rest" I think) or buy seed tubers suitable for Christmas harvest.

Well ... that's what I'm going to try this year - re-using my Spring-time potato containers

If anyone has done it, do they taste like proper home-harvested New Potatoes?