Potatoes..when to harvest ?

I have been growing Maris Piper, King Edwards and Charlotte potatoes. I not sure when to harvest, when they flower or after they flower? Can anyone offer any advice on when is the best time to harvest these guys??!

Thanks

Andy

 

Sure i read its when the flowers have dropped off you cut the foliage down and then wait ten days then start digging.

 

Depends......
Maris Piper and King Edward are main crop. So my understanding is that you harvest full grown potatoes later in the year, once the whole foliage has started to die back, and once the spuds have grown to a good size.
Charlotte are the only ones you should be thinking of right now.... once those flowers open and then start to droop, then you can grabble round the edges and get some small spuds... a week or three later then you should be able to harvest a reasonable crop of new potatoes. I'm no expert mind you.

 

thanks for your help.

 

When the flowers start to form take them off. If you leave them on the plants use energy developing seeds rather than using that energy in developing the tubers.
When the plants start to die back is when to start harvesting for maximum size of crop. You can do it earlier but the yield will be less.

 

HI dave are we talking main crop removing the flowers , or are we talking generally as my duke of york are well into flower .
Didn't know you took the floers off.
cheers micky

 

Andy g posted this thread and Dave w came back with a comment nip off the flowers when they start to form , this will give a better yeild.
Q? i have never done this as i only grow first earlies, is this general and is there any mileage in it .
Would welcome any comments

 

In general removing flowers saves the plant wasting energy on producing seed. Hence "Dead Heading" - taking the flowers of plants once the flowers are finished, to save energy.

Some plants stop, or slow down, producing more flower once they have managed to set seed (e.g. Sweet Peas) - so the more flowers you cut, or dead-head, the more you get.

Obviously not a problem for Spuds as they aren't going to carry on flowering all summer, NOR are their flowers going to look beautiful!, but the same save-energy policy applies. However, I don't think I've ever had time to take the flowers off my spuds ...