The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Pickles on July 16, 2011, 09:23:56 am

Title: Potatoes
Post by: Pickles on July 16, 2011, 09:23:56 am

I am very new to vegetable growing, and have planted two beds of potatoes, three different types.  The leaves and stems of almost all of them have gone yellow and are drooping and withering.  Does anyone know if this is ok or if something is wrong and what I should with the potatoes that have grown - should I compost them , dig them up and store them (if so, how?), or leave them in the ground?  Many thanks.

Title: Re: Potatoes
Post by: little blue on July 16, 2011, 11:41:05 am

Have you had alot of rain?  or manually watered them?
yellowing is often a sign of over-watering.

how long have they been in?
have they formed flowers?

you need to stop watering first!    then dig up one an examine the potatoes, to see if they are ready or not...

Title: Re: Potatoes
Post by: Fleecewife on July 16, 2011, 12:13:15 pm

Hi Pickles.  Any chance of a photo of the plants (the whole bed and a close-up) ?  Yellowing and collapse can be caused by a number of things from too much water as little blue says, too little water, BLIGHT, blackleg, mineral deficiencies.........and probably a whole lot more

Title: Re: Potatoes
Post by: Pickles on July 18, 2011, 06:22:38 pm

Hi - yes, I watered them a lot earlier in the season because we didn't have rain for about two months!  Maybe that's where I went wrong?  I dug up three plants the other day, and the looked fine, good size but a bit white?  I left them in a basket and they've all gone green now?  This growing lark is tricky isn't it!  Will take pics although not sure if I'll be able to download them onto the site!

Title: Re: Potatoes
Post by: deepinthewoods on July 18, 2011, 06:55:21 pm

harvested spuds must be kept in the dark, like they would be underground. ;)

Title: Re: Potatoes
Post by: Fleecewife on July 18, 2011, 06:55:58 pm

Um - why did you want them to go green?  You can't eat green potatoes.

Title: Re: Potatoes
Post by: Sylvia on July 23, 2011, 02:41:49 pm

My sister, when her younger daughter was first married, went to visit her and found green potatoes on all window-sills. When she asked why, was told "I'm waiting for them to ripen"!!!! :o :o And this a farmer's grand-daughter!

Title: Re: Potatoes
Post by: VSS on July 24, 2011, 08:47:08 pm

Once the plants have flowed they naturally go yellow and die back. They could just be ready to dig. If I were you I would get them out of the ground now.

Title: Re: Potatoes
Post by: suziequeue on July 25, 2011, 01:18:42 pm

Quote

"I'm waiting for them to ripen"!!!!

Probably waiting for them to chit. We chit ours on the windowsill but I don't think itmakes any difference  :)