potato planters - when to harvest?
 

ive tried growing potatoes in a planter for the first time and im under the impression i harvest once the plants flower. however, im getting abit of a jungle thats struggling to stand up in the planter and ive hilled to the top of the planter already.

ive not had any flowers yet so ive not harvested.

do i just need to be patient or should i be doing something?

potato planters - when to harvest?
 

In article ,
shopgirl771 wrote:

ive tried growing potatoes in a planter for the first time and im under
the impression i harvest once the plants flower. however, im getting
abit of a jungle thats struggling to stand up in the planter and ive
hilled to the top of the planter already.

ive not had any flowers yet so ive not harvested.

do i just need to be patient or should i be doing something?

Wait for the flowers to disappear and the leaves start to brown a
little. It's too early in the year for my potatoes to flower.
--
- Billy

Mad dog Republicans to the right. Democratic spider webs to the left. True conservatives, and liberals not to be found anywhere in the phantasmagoria
of the American political landscape.

America is not broke. The country is awash in wealth and cash.
It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the
greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks
and the portfolios of the uber-rich.
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/.../michael-moore
/michael-moore-says-400-americans-have-more-wealth-/

potato planters - when to harvest?
 

shopgirl771 wrote:
ive tried growing potatoes in a planter for the first time and im
under the impression i harvest once the plants flower. however, im
getting abit of a jungle thats struggling to stand up in the planter
and ive hilled to the top of the planter already.

If they are hanging down try to spread them out without kinking the stems so
they get as much sun as possible.


ive not had any flowers yet so ive not harvested.

do i just need to be patient or should i be doing something?

Wait, the longer the plant is making starch the bigger your taters will be.

D

potato planters - when to harvest?
 

"shopgirl771" wrote in message
...

ive tried growing potatoes in a planter for the first time and im under
the impression i harvest once the plants flower. however, im getting
abit of a jungle thats struggling to stand up in the planter and ive
hilled to the top of the planter already.

ive not had any flowers yet so ive not harvested.

do i just need to be patient or should i be doing something?

If you harves tyour potatoes when the tops are still gree, then the
potatoes are called 'new potatoes'. If you harvest then when the tops are
dead, then these are just potatoes (I think the term for them is main crop
potatoes but have forgotten such niceties)

thanks all. ill try that david thanks

This might be a bit late, but as ours are just starting to flower I thought I'd add my limited knowledge!

It'll depend what variety of potatoes you're growing. If you're growing an "early" variety, then they come out as new potatoes, when the tops are flowering. If you're growing "second earlies" or a "maincrop" variety like Maris Piper or King Edward, then as someone else said, they'll come out as normal potatoes when the foliage starts to die back.

I think it's more usual to grow early varieties in planters (we're doing the same) but I'd double check what variety you've got in there. Earlies and second earlies don't keep very well, so they say you should only pull out as much as you're going to eat straight away. I also gather it's a bit of an inexact science so if you gently put your hand in and find a potato, and it's only the size of a pea, they need leaving a while longer!

We had the same trouble with the foliage collapsing, and that was due to too much water after some heavy rain. I earthed them up quite a bit more, and put in a few stakes (very gingerly trying not to damage any tubers!) and they've been ok since then.

Hope it all goes well!

...but I think next time I'll take David's advice on the foliage! :)