greentree
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How are your spuds doing?I think this is one of the best years for potatoes for me!
No need to water and I am on a well drained site so no waterlogging. I think that all the rain should give nice big spuds this year.
BTW - managed to save mine from frost in late May. Only the edges of some plants got burnt.
So how are yours?
Mike
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chook
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Mine had been completely wiped out but have managed to come back over the past weeks and now look ok but not half as big as they could be had they not been burned down to the ground by the frost.
chook
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Moonwaves
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It's my first year having a go at spuds and I'm growing in tyres in the back garden. They seem to be doing well, have very healthy looking plants but it's my first time trying any kind of root vegetable and just assuming there are potatoes in there somewhere is killing me. I want to see now! I've got the beginnings of a couple of flowers now so am going to leave them alone for another little while.
Of course the wind yesterday flattened one of them and severely bent the other so I'm not sure they're going to survive.
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greentree
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| Moonwaves wrote: | | They seem to be doing well, have very healthy looking plants but it's my first time trying any kind of root vegetable and just assuming there are potatoes in there somewhere is killing me. I want to see now! |
You could always have a little dig and have a look! Our first earlies are always small spuds 'stolen' from the plant in this way!
Mike
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wayoutwest
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mine are doing very well, too. the rain has been a bit of a blessing, and having finally controlled the jungle of weeds - with a strimmer in places  - we're now harvesting spuds most days for dinner.
thinking of bringing in bribed help for pea picking though... it's endless! 
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blowin
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| greentree wrote: | | ..........You could always have a little dig and have a look! Our first earlies are always small spuds 'stolen' from the plant in this way! ... |
Do you do this before they have flowered ?
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wayland
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If they are earlies,yes. With earlies size is the thing. Although the flowers are a good indicator just pealing back a bit of soil will show you whats what. Good luck with them.
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blowin
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How right you are  . I thought you had to wait for all types to flower but MOH has now had a test dig which produced some very nice King Edwards . Not a big yield but lovely spuds -- quite distinctive flavour and texture . This is our first attempt at those . No-one else appears to grow them . Is there any particular reason , other than that they are not easy to get hold of ?
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Moonwaves
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Didn't quite work for me. Had a good feel around down into the soil (up to my elbow) and found one tiny (about 1 cm across) beginning of a potato. Filled all the soil back in and will just leave them there. As far as I know they need lots of water (which we've had thanks to almost non-stop rain since the beginning of June*) and lot of sun (which we haven't had thanks to almost non-stop rain since the beginning of June!).
*okay, maybe not non-stop but close enough!
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greentree
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OK - bumping up this thread again!!
So just started digging my spuds.
My earlies were sharpes express which seem to have done well if a bit on the small side. We had a storm last weekend which seems to have done them some damage but I think they were nearly finished anyway. I got 2 buckets full from a 20ft drill.
I cleared the first row today and planted a row of turnips in their place.
I have 4 more rows of Roosters and Kerrs pink although they are starting to get overgrown - need to do more weeding.
This year is my first planting broad beans. I have had to stake a few of them. They are flowering now.
A
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Graney
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Whilst everyone was doing well last year, mine got frosted and then blighted. Only got worthwhile spuds from the very earlies.
This year they're all going well. I've had a little dig around and there are some small spuds, but not big enough to dig.
Decided I wouldn't trust to chance this year and gave them a blight spray a couple of weeks ago and I've been waiting for a dry day to get another spray on. Don't like doing it, but it was such a waste of time and effort last year, I couldn't stand another crop failure this year.
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quarryman
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Just lifted the first of the earlies. Can't wait for dinner. We only lift 3 or 4 plants at a time, makes for a bigger crop and better storage.
To wash or not to wash.
If you lift too many do you wash them all and then store them. I was told that when they are washed they will only last a couple of days and then start to go off. So we just wash the ones we need and leave the mud on the others, it seems to work.
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wayland
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Hi Quarryman. I too have just started lifting my earlies. The first two plants had some rotten spuds on them. I dont see blight on them but the ground is water logged on this part of the bed. The other plants are fine but the tattes are a bit on the big side. I should have dug them eirlier me thinks. I only want to dig them as we want them but if this wet weather carries on much longer I may well take the whole crop. If I do this I will do what I do with the main crop and clamp them above ground level without washing them first. I put down a layer of straw and then pile the tattes on this. They are then covered over with straw and finally a covering of earth completes the job. An air vent needs to be put in the top and a tile drain does this well. Earlies kept like this are still earlies at Xmas. Now all this was done in East Anglia but might not work here so time will tell. Any other ideas lads?
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