The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:




And, when is the earliest that I can start scraping away at the soil to
pick a few earlies, I don't want to dig them up as that always results
in losing some.

Approx. 12 weeks from planting.

You mean we're suppposed to count?

Didn't know that - and I can't remember when I planted mine :-( I've usually
waited until the leaves were wilting and yellow.

That's for harvesting your main crop for storage.

You're missing the gorgeous early new potato crop..the best part of
growing your own. When the potato patch is still bright green and fresh,
but shows more than a dozen flowers, you can be pretty sure that
potatoes are forming. Find out if the tubers are ready by gently
scraping back the earth to have a look; don't dig up the plant! If they
are still only marble size, cover the tubers again; but check again soon
because the transition from marbles to eating size is very fast. Just
uncover enough tubers to pick for your meal,(which will perhaps mean
scraping around several plants) and leave the plants in the ground to
grow more.

My Arran Pilots were planted on April 19th, opened their first flowers
a week ago and had new potatoes the size of pigeon eggs when I looked
yesterday; first harvest should be this week.

Janet (Isle of Arran).