Potatos

[jumping bean]

Sorry I'm a beginner. They are flowering just now, is it time???

[Jandra]

Well, I'm very experienced by comparison as this is my second year of growing potatoes

I harvested my early potatoes on June 18. They were put in the ground on April 11, after having chitted for 4 weeks.

Of my second earlies (which is my main crop) I have harvested half. I put in the last of these on April 27, which is the bed I still have to harvest. They have finished flowering quite a while ago and have set fruit. Will be harvesting these as soon as the soil is dry enough (clay soil, very wet now).

Hope this helps.

Jandra

[MINESAPINT]

Yes your potatoes should be flowering now, I live on the edge of the North Yorks moors and have attached a piccy of mine taken yesterday. I planted a few Winston which is a first early and have been holding off wondering whether they will be worth picking, or to leave them another week or so. Anyway I lifted a root yesterday and now realise I could have been picking them 2 to 3 weeks ago. Apparently it is a good year for potatoes - so far. What variety have you grown? I understand if potatoes are going to be stored the flowers should be allowed to die off before picking. If you want to use them as you pick them I would pull a root now and let us know how you got on.

[Odsox]

I understand if potatoes are going to be stored the flowers should be allowed to die off before picking.

More than that really. If you want to store potatoes for any length of time you should wait until all the foliage has died before digging.

Eating straight away or keeping for a few days is fine for potatoes at any stage. My first earlies were started on the last Sunday in May, as they are every year, but they were planted in February.
Second earlies (Estima) were harvested yesterday as the foliage was as dead as a doornail.
Maincrop (Sarpo Mira) I will leave for another month or so.

[red]

last year I had to dig my spuds too early as blight hit them, they kept for 3 months fine - might have done longer but we had eaten them all by then!

this year have blight again.. but they have at least flowered, and the flowers died off, so I'm hopeful they will keep again. but we are eating potatoes with every main meal anyway.

[jumping bean]

Thanks everyone I'll pull one lot up tomorrow!! So exciting.

[jumping bean]

They were delicious, however I think I would have got more had i of been a little more patient, I'll wait till i pull the next lot. It felt just like digging for gold.