The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: BML on July 03, 2011, 11:10:38 am

Title: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: BML on July 03, 2011, 11:10:38 am
I wonder how potatoes have gone this year because mine have not produced very well I assume because of the lack of rain.
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: Fleecewife on July 03, 2011, 11:24:11 am
It's well worth watering them once the flowers appear.  None of ours are ready yet but we have had rain here in the south of Scotland so I am expecting a normal yield.
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: manian on July 03, 2011, 11:56:47 am
our earlies will be ready in a week or two so not sure yet
fingers crossed
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: kingnigel on July 03, 2011, 02:05:07 pm
our were grown in buckets, we are well pleased with them, they have been kept well watered from start to finish, ive just planted some more in buckets and if it gets too cold for them then i can move them under glass to finish off.
kn
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: BML on July 03, 2011, 02:28:22 pm
I'm on a water metre (hope I spelt that correctly) so I don't like to water vegetables.  None of mine have had flowers yet, is that a problem because some roots I dug were reasonable.
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: plumseverywhere on July 03, 2011, 04:39:50 pm
We are having our first lot of earlies tonight for tea - India my 6 yr old has been out collecting them  :)  they look lovely. I have had a sprinkler on them on days when there's been no rain.  not sure about the flowering?
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: suziequeue on July 03, 2011, 05:41:46 pm
Out of two rows of potatoes we have three flowers!!!  :-\ :-\

Should I just water those ones that have flowers or the whole lot?

Why aren't there more flowers?  :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: Fleecewife on July 03, 2011, 05:49:33 pm
Out of two rows of potatoes we have three flowers!!!  :-\ :-\

Should I just water those ones that have flowers or the whole lot?

Why aren't there more flowers?  :'( :'( :'(


Because they are not big enough yet - be patient  ;D  But yes if they are very dry then water them all - best with a hose to the roots rather than a sprinkler which keeps the leaves wet and invites in BLIGHT  :o :o.  We have rain forecast for Tues onwards here.  The advice about watering once the flowers appear is because that is when the tubers start to swell, so if you are short of water it is less important earlier on.  Some varieties do seem to produce flowers at different stages to others.  For the first few meals, don't dig up the whole plant but gently search around by hand amongst the little tubers and just take out the biggest couple from each plant, leaving the rest to grow bigger.
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: Cobra on July 03, 2011, 06:26:07 pm
Ours havent flowered yet but I'm guessing they will soon. Plants look good and strong, will find out later if that, that lurks below is as good as that above  :)
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: Rosemary on July 03, 2011, 08:14:20 pm
We've just started lifting International Kidney. Looks like a good crop - and very tasty too.
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: Greenerlife on July 03, 2011, 08:47:10 pm
i planted two types of earlies, yet they haven't flowered.  i have however taken a few Pentland Javelin for upper over the last week.  All of my maincrop are in full flower now.  Very weird, and apparently not uncommon down here this year!  It's an odd one.
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: faith0504 on July 03, 2011, 08:48:40 pm
mine are not ready yet  :wave:
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: happy larry on July 03, 2011, 10:30:12 pm
I grew lady christie in 25ltr tubs this year,i noticed 1 plant looking a little yellow on the leaves so emptied it out to be honest i wasnt expecting anything much in the way of spuds as it was a weak looking thing and only had 2 stems.WOW i couldnt believe my eyes,enough spuds for me and the mrs for 2 meals,most a very good size double the size of a duck egg.Also a few marble size spuds that i cooked,drained added a knob of butter a teaspoon of mint and swished them round in the pan with the intention of having a snack whilst on the pc.Some chance i couldnt leave them alone ;D they never even got chance to cool down.
These spuds had been in the tubs for exactly 12 weeks,and i have planted several tubs and just doing a little experiment,all tubs are labled and have been grown in
compost only
compost plus growmore
compost plus blood fish and bone
leaf mould only
The tubs containing growmore and bfb both got fed at the same time and all of the tubs get watered together,so i should see which produces the better crop.Also on the go is spuds in tubs grown in soil also using the above methods.To bore you even further the tub i emptied was compost only.
Title: Re: How have the potatoes gone?
Post by: kingnigel on July 03, 2011, 11:34:06 pm
ours were compost only tubs, with no flowers, they were starting to yellow around the foliage so we emptied the tubs, fab spuds
kn