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Posted by thevodkarose (U13048111) on Wednesday, 2nd June 2010
Yet again, my potato crop has been very poor despite me improving my technique from last year. Perhaps enough for a meal for 4, all small. Many were still pea sized (unusable to me), despite lots of top growth and flowering.
I'd been using an extra large potato sack filled with a mixture of loam and compost, and spaced the potatoes (arran pilot) to 5 in the bag. They'd been chitted.
As we all know, early spring was cold and dry with low light levels, and they were very slow to start. Then we got the heat wave and they caught up, or so the top growth suggested.
Have I done something wrong, or was it just the mainly poor spring? Have I picked a poor variety for 'container' growing? The way I feel right now, I won't grow any at all next year and use the space for more productive root veg and greens.
I would say it's too soon to lift even first earlies given the slow start to the season.
If you'd waited a bit longer they'd probably have been fine. It's very early yet, even for "earlies", and most of us (I guess) won't have started harvesting our potatoes yet. I can usually get a first meal from them by about 7 June, but they're not really at their best until later in the month.
I think basically you are harvesting them far too early. This season has been very late due to the cold conditions. all those little ones would fill up given time
, in reply to message 4.
Posted by preciousblossum (U13870137) on Wednesday, 2nd June 2010
due to lack of space i to grow potatoes in sacks and containers and last year's harvest was allfull. so have been reading up on how to make it better this year and one thing you can do is feed them tomatoe feed when the flowers have opened. usually i get a bit to egar and once they have flowered i want to eat them but i think you just have to wait a bit longer than normal also you dont get a very large harvest in containers anyway.
Early potatoes need 12-14 weeks from planting. Given the very cold start to the year i would add 3 more weeks to that. So maybe July before i even check on mine this year. Looking at them they do not even look like being ready for June although the rain has helped.
I was always told to dig up when they are in flower, which they were.
You should never go by flowering. Some potatoes do not flower. You need to count the weeks from planting then allow for cold weather etc. I do not know when you planted yours the earliest would be Mid March. So they should not even have been ready until mid June anyway. I am sorry but this happens when we all get too impatient. I have done it in the past but i learnt my lesson. I have rows of potatoes so i can afford to dig one too early but if you only have a few you have wasted a lot of time in not waiting the proper growing time. It is more difficult if you are not growing in the ground as they are harder to get at but you will know next year.
I too have to grow everything in containers. My earlies, charlotte and nicola are in bud but not yet flowering. I planted on good friday and when the weather got nasty I moved them into my unheated g/h and covered them with fleece. By my reckoning it'll be nearer mid July before I can eat any of them. Do people cut off the flowering heads or just wait till the haulms turn yellow?
Never cut off the haulms until you are ready to dig them up. If they get blighted you can remove the haulms but do not touch the potatoes for about 3 weeks. This way you may be lucky enough to save your potatoes from blight.
Ah well, thanks everyone. Will put it down to experience, so something is gained at least.
thevodkarose
If you planted them out to early and they were affected by frosty nights this would have set them back a few weeks.
My brother planted his out several weeks before mine and they are at the same stage now his went out when it was still frosty.
I planted my last lot out 3 weeks ago and they are only just about 6' tall.
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