potato problem

[Kirstykbart]

I planted 2 rows of potatoes at the end of May and so far they've been growing fine.

However, in the last week or so, with all the warm weather I noticed some of them were starting to turn yellow and dying. My first thoughts were not enough water or that it was blight and part of me is still worried it could be this but I'm thinking now it could be that one of the neighbours has sprayed some weedkiller or something and it's blown over and got to the potatotes. My reason for thinking this is that all my calabrese are dying or looking sickly now after growing really well. Also loads of weeds in the same area are dying, or have turned yellow. Also it's only a few potato plants that have died, not them all.

Basically I need to know what to do with the affected plants? Can I leave them and hope they'll start growing more leaves? (ever the optimist!) Or should I dig them up? I dug up one plant the other day and the spuds were tiny I suppose more importantly do you think they'll be safe to eat?

I tried to link photo's but it's not playing. They're on my blog (linked below) if anyone would like to see and try and help.

And on another note, anyone know if I can still plant calabrese at this time of the year?

[den_the_cat]

normally yellow wilting potato leaves means they're ready to harvest.

Ours wilt a few at a time even though all planted at once and its because the potato bed is sheltered at different times of day by a large tree, the ones at one end of the bed go first and over the next week or so they all die off in rows, so yours could be like that and nothing to do with weedkiller.

[Andy Hamilton]

I will second that they probally are just read to harvest. Nothing to worry about, my second earlies look like that, well they did look like that until I started eating them. Do you know if they are second earlies, first earlies or main crop? - earlies will be smaller than the main crop, have you been earthing them up? - this can lead to smaller yeilds from the plants, the variety also lends itself to bigger or smaller yields.

[Kirstykbart]

hiya,

thanks for the thoughts. They were Maris pipers which I'm sure were maincrop? So am I right in thinking that even if they have died down they can be left in the ground?

thanks in advance,

Kirsty

[Andy Hamilton]

Yep, I leave them in until I need them. I noticed that you have straw on your patch for pathways. Perhaps you could make a clamp?

[jonc]

This is something i've been wondering about - not actually got any potatoes to store, but as bags bought in a supermarket go bad in a few weeks I was wondering how you can grow them and then eat them throughout the year. I guess leaving them in the ground makes sense :)

[den_the_cat]

or store them with some earth on them, but dry, in paper sacks in a dark dry place. Its the moisture that rots them and light that turns them green.

[Millymollymandy]

My spuds from last year stored well for 6 months. Depends on the variety which ones store better than others.

The problem at this time of year is to find somewhere cool enough! Mine are all in the bathroom cupboard as it is the coolest place in the house!

[nem]

mine keep going mouldy. theyre in a wooden box..can breathe..are covered in dirt and newspaper..in the dark...keep going mouldy