The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: starcana on June 16, 2010, 07:28:24 pm

Title: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: starcana on June 16, 2010, 07:28:24 pm
well one plant is. Any idea why they're not flowering when they look very healthy and seem to have been in ages. Charolottes and Anyas.
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: Rosemary on June 16, 2010, 08:41:21 pm
Ours aren't either. Lack of water maybe?
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: langdon on June 16, 2010, 10:32:14 pm
neither is ours >:( >:(
im mad to have some tatties from the garden soon with our lush pork
from our ever formore remembered first pigs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
langdon ;)
p.s. bring on the flowers!
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: Daveravey on June 16, 2010, 11:42:05 pm
Mine aren't either, even though the greenery is about 3 1/2 foot tall
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: doganjo on June 17, 2010, 12:02:45 am
Mine are the same
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: Wizard on June 17, 2010, 12:17:22 am
Hell Dave how much nitrogen did you give them.Some spuds do not flower.I emptied a box of Red Duke of York on June the 5th there was a lot of Small ones and several as large as golf balls I was a bit disappointed there was just short of a kilo so I shouldn't grumble I paid £1.50p for 6 tubers and Boston's were £2.00p a kg on the market yesterday.so thats paid for the seed I couldn't get any Lady Crystl but Roy gave me 2 of his they look well.I shall give them a whirl next Sunday to have with the beef.Kidney beans are in flower As are the tomato plants.Roy's Raspberry's are covered in fruit Summers coming now :D :farmer: :wave:
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: Greenerlife on June 17, 2010, 09:52:23 am
Weird!  Looked at my spuds yesterday - no flowers - today loads of flowers!  Just takes a day!  Be patient.
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: VSS on June 17, 2010, 09:55:04 am
I would think its still abit early for Charlotte and Anya as they are second rather than first earlies.

We've only just started digging and ours are all extra and first earlies. Give them a couple of weeks and pray for rain. Flowering is not always a reliable indicator of when spuds are ready to dig.
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: doganjo on June 17, 2010, 11:07:48 am
My son gave me some potato seed tubers when they were on sale price at focus, so they would have been planted latish for their variety - I know one is desiree but can't remember the other one - when would they be ready?
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: Greenerlife on June 17, 2010, 12:01:29 pm
I never take any notice of what variety and when they are supposed to come up!  LOL.  I just wait until they "look right"  :farmer:  So technical
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: VSS on June 17, 2010, 12:32:37 pm
My son gave me some potato seed tubers when they were on sale price at focus, so they would have been planted latish for their variety - I know one is desiree but can't remember the other one - when would they be ready?

Desiree are a main crop so need a good bit of time in the ground for the crop to bulk up. I probaly wouldn't want to dig them 'till August. I usually reckon June for First earlies, july for Second earlies and August/September for main. The difficulty with growing maincrop is keeping them blight free until they are ready.

Have had such trouble with blight that I have given up growing anything except First earlies. All the books say they won't keep, but they keep much better than spuds that have been blighted.
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: Wizard on June 17, 2010, 01:55:12 pm
Main crop potato's are usually lifted in late September early October in Linc's.The New Boston potato's are in the shops now and have been a week and the asking price is £1.50p a Kilo.thats £1500 a metric tonne.I emptied out one of my boxes of Red Duke of York (First Early) Lots of damson size and 3/4 golf ball size total weight was just short of a kilo First weekend in June for Sunday lunch and very good they were to with a sprig of mint :D :farmer: :wave:
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: VSS on June 17, 2010, 04:18:27 pm
I haven't got any mint :(
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: northfifeduckling on June 17, 2010, 10:14:30 pm
no flowers here either, maybe all is just late?  :&>
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: doganjo on June 17, 2010, 11:27:48 pm
I haven't got any mint :(
  If you get some keep it in a pot or it will take over your whole plot!
Quote
no flowers here either, maybe all is just late?
  Yup, that's what I reckon.
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: hexhammeasure on June 21, 2010, 01:23:02 am
just checked my taties yesterday and they weren't ready they were first earlies planted mid march and earthed up once. They would normally be ready by now but I guess the cold spring has affected them
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: northfifeduckling on June 21, 2010, 07:49:59 am
although I had put my first ones in before the last frost I wouldn't dare to look just yet. It seems an awfully long time but I'd give them another couple of weeks at least. :&>
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: Wizard on June 21, 2010, 08:41:42 am
And I shook out a second box yesterday, they are still not at maximum yield.I have had a word round and about all seems to think it's the season
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: northfifeduckling on June 22, 2010, 05:22:39 pm
first flowers coming up now - but not on the lot I've planted first...and of course i don't remember which varieties i bought  ::) :&>
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: Greenerlife on June 22, 2010, 06:27:31 pm
Ha ha!  Glad to see that someone else doesn't have a clue which varieties they have!  I did mark all mine, but on stupid labels which have now been trodden into the soil!  :-\
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: egbert on June 22, 2010, 09:15:58 pm
My 1st earlies have just started showing their flowers today, so a few more days I guess.
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: doganjo on June 22, 2010, 11:51:36 pm
I've got flowers on mine - just about to open, one dumpy bag is Desiree but don't know the other one.
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: starcana on June 23, 2010, 09:00:40 pm
right, well I got fed up waiting for flowers today, so dug up one charlotte plant and one anya.Wonderful - lovely potatoes, all ready so obviously they were never going to flower. Going to be eating an awful lot of potatoes over the next few weeks!
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: Helencus on June 23, 2010, 10:20:06 pm
I had that last year. Not one type flowered early or main but tatties were fine.
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: Janette1970 on June 25, 2010, 01:20:36 pm
I've put second earlies in (nadine and ?????). They are just starting to have lovely pink/purple flowers on them. I thought you waited until the flowers had died and were dropping off before you harvested. I could be wrong as really i know nowt!!!!!!!   :chook:   :wave:
Title: Re: Early potatoes not flowering yet
Post by: northfifeduckling on June 25, 2010, 02:49:27 pm
I harvest as late as possible to get most out of each plant, just have to watch out for blight this way :&>