THE TATTIES THREAD 2018

Only if seed potatoes of a particular variety aren't available to buy, which happened to me this year but luckily I had a single tuber saved from the previous year. I knew it came from a healthy plant with no sign of desease and the tuber showed no sign of desease when it was cut into pieces.

I destroy anything sprouting from potatoes left in the ground as I've no idea whether the plant was infected with anything that will overwinter in the underground tuber and infect my outdoor spuds and tomatoes the following year.

 

Hmm, yes hadn't thought of that @Scrungee. I have been lucky with the 1 1 missed last season but will take your advice and if I miss anything I'll dig them out next year just to be on the safe side. Thanks

 

Something I forgot to mention is that letting volunteer spuds grow to maturity will extend crop rotation for that patch by a further year.

 

Funny you should mention this as that did dawn on me too! Part of the reason I didn't lift the "volunteer" was it came up right in the middle of a row of Cauliflowers and I'd have had to probably disturb at lease 3 to get at it. i was hoping the 1 missed wouldn't be enough to affect the rotation but seems that was wishful thinking

 

Anybody know if Anya store well? I had to buy a bag of Anya seed potatoes rather than buying just as many loose seed potatoes as I wanted. The bag contained over 30 seed potatoes so I have a lot. Add that I was able to water them quite well and the amazing summer and I have an enormous crop. Not quite sure what best to do. I haven't even needed to dig whole plants up yet as loads easy to find by furtling.
My question is they were ready to start harvesting about 3 weeks ago. We are eating loads (delicious) and given loads away. Am I best to just keep what is not harvested in the ground and harvest as required or lift the lot and hope they store ok? They have no sign of blight but the lower leaves on some of the plants are beginning to go yellow.

 

Oh great @JWK many thanks. Your climate is of course quite a bit "kinder" than mine but good to know I can leave them for a good while anyway. The family are a little Anyaed out atm and preying that neither cucumber, Sungold toms Anyas or mange tout are on the menu. It was asked if there was a world shortage of rice as that has not been on the table for weeks.
Did you leave the halums to die down naturally or did you remove them?

 

If they've finished growing, cut the haulms off just above ground level and leave forv2 weeks before lifting so they'll store better, plus ensure they stay blight free.

 

The haulms are still green from above the 2nd stem of leaves , those are going yellow. So is that them stopping growing? I have not been growing spuds for that long....does it show? as I seem to have to ask lots of questions, sorry!
I've learnt a great deal about spud growing over the last while thanks mainly to patient GC members so you can "teach an old dog". I still didn't earth up enough for the Anyas anyway, they seem intent on tunnelling up to the light. Will have to earth up more next year as they do seem to grow very well here and will grow them again . They I think were bred in East Lothian by Albert Bartlett, East Lothian isn't that far away from me so perhaps that is the reason they grow well here. That said my Pentland Javelin (presume they must originate from around the Pentland Hills which are near Edinburgh), have been only ok and that area is quite local to me as well.

 

Old dog yes @armandi but not quite at the knitting granny stage....yet Just in from removing all the haulms off my Anyas so hopefully I have timed it right for the optimum harvest. Now that the weather is a bit damper keeping fingers and everything else crossed that my other main crop tatties don't succumb to that b thing beginning with b!

 

Just started lifting some of my Highland Burgundy's. Plants are huge. Almost 6f tall. They're totally dominating that section of the garden, overflowing from the potato bed.

I also have an unexpected crop of volunteers from last year popped up in my shallots and garlic. Kind of worked out as the garlic and shallots matured before the potato plants got to big

 

Out of interest would it do any harm to cut back some of the foliage of the potato plants?

Could do with tidying it up a little

 

Push some sticks in and tie them back.

Reducing foliage before they've finished is the worst of both options, reducing tuber growth but still exposing to potential blight.


P.S. When I grow spuds for 'biggest' in outdoor raised beds, I use vertical timber supports with horizontal wires to support the haulms, similar to Raspberry cane supports.

 

Tried some as chips the night before last, they cooked well and stayed crispy throughout the meal. Must try roasting soon, I suspect they will be excellent for that.

Steve...