I couldn't resist any more, so I dug up one of my first early ("Maris
Bard") potato plants this afternoon. I've never grown potatoes before,
so I didn't know quite what to expect.

Well, there were five our size decent new potato sized spuds, making a
small serving for three, plus maybe 20 odd tiny marble sized spuds. I
felt pretty guilty about eating the tiny ones, but I've got plenty more
roots to come, and I'm happy to leave the rest for a little while now I
have a rough idea what's going on down there. And they tasted fantastic
boiled with mint!

Made me realise quite how much I've raised the soil level earthing up
all the time, but also I'm delighted how damage free they all were.
While I was preparing the bed I found lots of what I now know to be wire
worms, and my radish seedlings know to their cost that there are plenty
of slugs about, but for whatever reason they haven't touched the spuds.
Yet...

Not sure if I should be worried, but the tiny yellow flower buds I first
noticed back in April have come to nothing, and mostly seem to have
dried out and drop off when I look between the very topmost leaves.
Strange given how much rain we've had since then (and the soil was
beautifully damp all the way down). Each time I've seen a handful of
ants guilityly scurrying away from the buds, but there don't seem to be
a significant number of aphids to attract them, so I'm not sure what
they've been doing.

Peter

On Sun, 20 May 2007 00:16:32 +0100, (Peter
Robinson) wrote:

I couldn't resist any more, so I dug up one of my first early ("Maris
Bard") potato plants this afternoon. I've never grown potatoes before,
so I didn't know quite what to expect.

When had you planted them?

judith wrote:

On Sun, 20 May 2007 00:16:32 +0100, (Peter
Robinson) wrote:

I couldn't resist any more, so I dug up one of my first early ("Maris
Bard") potato plants this afternoon. I've never grown potatoes before,
so I didn't know quite what to expect.

When had you planted them?

11th March.

Was a bit touch & go with frost in the week of 19th-25th March, but they
hadn't shown above the soil by then and we haven't had any frost here
since they did first show (5th April).

Regards,

Peter

Peter Robinson wrote:
judith wrote:


On Sun, 20 May 2007 00:16:32 +0100, (Peter
Robinson) wrote:

I couldn't resist any more, so I dug up one of my first early ("Maris
Bard") potato plants this afternoon. I've never grown potatoes before,
so I didn't know quite what to expect.

When had you planted them?

11th March.

Was a bit touch & go with frost in the week of 19th-25th March, but they
hadn't shown above the soil by then and we haven't had any frost here
since they did first show (5th April).

Hmmm... I planted my first earlies (Home Guard) on the 10th/11th March;
I'm tempted too. The plants are all looking in absolutely excellent
condition. Second earlies (Charlottes) went in one week later, and they
too are all looking in beautiful condition.

Main crop (Pink Fir Apple) went in 22nd April, and they're only now
all starting to bud through.

Tempted though I am, I'm going to leave it for another couple of weeks.

(N.W.Essex/Cambs. border)

"R.A.Omond" wrote ...
Peter Robinson wrote:
judith wrote:


On Sun, 20 May 2007 00:16:32 +0100, (Peter
Robinson) wrote:

I couldn't resist any more, so I dug up one of my first early ("Maris
Bard") potato plants this afternoon. I've never grown potatoes before,
so I didn't know quite what to expect.

When had you planted them?

11th March.

Was a bit touch & go with frost in the week of 19th-25th March, but they
hadn't shown above the soil by then and we haven't had any frost here
since they did first show (5th April).

Hmmm... I planted my first earlies (Home Guard) on the 10th/11th March;
I'm tempted too. The plants are all looking in absolutely excellent
condition. Second earlies (Charlottes) went in one week later, and they
too are all looking in beautiful condition.

Main crop (Pink Fir Apple) went in 22nd April, and they're only now
all starting to bud through.

Tempted though I am, I'm going to leave it for another couple of weeks.

An old gardener I knew said to start digging earlies 12 to 14 weeks from
planting depending on the spring. I would think that this year 12 weeks
would be about right.

--
Regards
Bob H

Bob Hobden wrote:
"R.A.Omond" wrote ...
Peter Robinson wrote:
judith wrote:
On Sun, 20 May 2007 00:16:32 +0100, (Peter
Robinson) wrote:

I couldn't resist any more, so I dug up one of my first early ("Maris
Bard") potato plants this afternoon. I've never grown potatoes before,
so I didn't know quite what to expect.

When had you planted them?

11th March.

Was a bit touch & go with frost in the week of 19th-25th March, but they
hadn't shown above the soil by then and we haven't had any frost here
since they did first show (5th April).

Hmmm... I planted my first earlies (Home Guard) on the 10th/11th March;
I'm tempted too. The plants are all looking in absolutely excellent
condition. Second earlies (Charlottes) went in one week later, and they
too are all looking in beautiful condition.

Main crop (Pink Fir Apple) went in 22nd April, and they're only now
all starting to bud through.
Tempted though I am, I'm going to leave it for another couple of weeks.


An old gardener I knew said to start digging earlies 12 to 14 weeks from
planting depending on the spring. I would think that this year 12 weeks
would be about right.

Are there any signs to look for - I heard someting about potatoes being
ready when the flowers finished - that would mean our Juliettes have
taken 9 weeks or so!

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"R.A.Omond" wrote ...
Peter Robinson wrote:
judith wrote:


On Sun, 20 May 2007 00:16:32 +0100, (Peter
Robinson) wrote:

I couldn't resist any more, so I dug up one of my first early ("Maris
Bard") potato plants this afternoon. I've never grown potatoes before,
so I didn't know quite what to expect.

When had you planted them?

11th March.

Was a bit touch & go with frost in the week of 19th-25th March, but they
hadn't shown above the soil by then and we haven't had any frost here
since they did first show (5th April).

Hmmm... I planted my first earlies (Home Guard) on the 10th/11th March;
I'm tempted too. The plants are all looking in absolutely excellent
condition. Second earlies (Charlottes) went in one week later, and they
too are all looking in beautiful condition.

Main crop (Pink Fir Apple) went in 22nd April, and they're only now
all starting to bud through.

Tempted though I am, I'm going to leave it for another couple of weeks.

An old gardener I knew said to start digging earlies 12 to 14 weeks from
planting depending on the spring. I would think that this year 12 weeks
would be about right.

Trouble is, I can't remember when I put mine in!

Perhaps I should have made a note in the diary, but I couldn't remember to
do that!(:-(

I only planted my maincrop (King Edward) yesterday, 20th May. Does this mean
I have left it rather late? I used an interval of 4 weeks between firsts,
seconds and maincrop.
My first earlies haven't flowered yet so I haven't lifted but when I start
in a couple of weeks time what would be good thing to plant in the space
left in my Bristol allotment please?

"R.A.Omond" wrote in message
...
Peter Robinson wrote:
judith wrote:


On Sun, 20 May 2007 00:16:32 +0100, (Peter
Robinson) wrote:

I couldn't resist any more, so I dug up one of my first early ("Maris
Bard") potato plants this afternoon. I've never grown potatoes before,
so I didn't know quite what to expect.

When had you planted them?

11th March.

Was a bit touch & go with frost in the week of 19th-25th March, but they
hadn't shown above the soil by then and we haven't had any frost here
since they did first show (5th April).

Hmmm... I planted my first earlies (Home Guard) on the 10th/11th March;
I'm tempted too. The plants are all looking in absolutely excellent
condition. Second earlies (Charlottes) went in one week later, and they
too are all looking in beautiful condition.

Main crop (Pink Fir Apple) went in 22nd April, and they're only now
all starting to bud through.

Tempted though I am, I'm going to leave it for another couple of weeks.

(N.W.Essex/Cambs. border)

On Sun, 20 May 2007 20:25:17 +0100, Brick
wrote:


An old gardener I knew said to start digging earlies 12 to 14 weeks from
planting depending on the spring. I would think that this year 12 weeks
would be about right.

Are there any signs to look for - I heard someting about potatoes being
ready when the flowers finished - that would mean our Juliettes have
taken 9 weeks or so!

As I understand it, if you pick off the flowers the spuds will
continue to grow. Once they flower, the plant's energy goes into
making the fruits which we don't want because they are poisonous.

Pam in Bristol

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 20 May 2007 20:25:17 +0100, Brick
wrote:



Are there any signs to look for - I heard someting about potatoes being
ready when the flowers finished - that would mean our Juliettes have
taken 9 weeks or so!

As I understand it, if you pick off the flowers the spuds will
continue to grow. Once they flower, the plant's energy goes into
making the fruits which we don't want because they are poisonous.

Pam in Bristol

My potatoes in pots have just started flowering (estima I think), so do I
wait till the flowers die off then pick the bud off to prevent the fruit?

I've not tried potatoes before, but these were some from the supermarket
which started sprouting so I figured why not?

Steve

Steve writes

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 20 May 2007 20:25:17 +0100, Brick
wrote:



Are there any signs to look for - I heard someting about potatoes being
ready when the flowers finished - that would mean our Juliettes have
taken 9 weeks or so!

As I understand it, if you pick off the flowers the spuds will
continue to grow. Once they flower, the plant's energy goes into
making the fruits which we don't want because they are poisonous.

Pam in Bristol

My potatoes in pots have just started flowering (estima I think), so do I
wait till the flowers die off then pick the bud off to prevent the fruit?

I've not tried potatoes before, but these were some from the supermarket
which started sprouting so I figured why not?

Even if you don't pick off the flowers, the plant will still make
potatoes. It's basically a perennial, and the tubers (potatoes) are its
food store to allow it to grow up again next year.
--
Kay

On Thu, 24 May 2007 21:35:14 +0100, K wrote:

As I understand it, if you pick off the flowers the spuds will
continue to grow. Once they flower, the plant's energy goes into
making the fruits which we don't want because they are poisonous.

Pam in Bristol


My potatoes in pots have just started flowering (estima I think), so do I
wait till the flowers die off then pick the bud off to prevent the fruit?

I've not tried potatoes before, but these were some from the supermarket
which started sprouting so I figured why not?

Even if you don't pick off the flowers, the plant will still make
potatoes. It's basically a perennial, and the tubers (potatoes) are its
food store to allow it to grow up again next year.
--
Kay

I pick off the flowers as soon as they appear.
As I understand it, the potatoes will get bigger if there are no
flowers. Once itgets to flowering stage, the plant's energy goes into
making fruit. If this is wrong tell Bob Flowerdew, but I have always
done this, but never as a trial!

Pam in Bristol

Bob Hobden wrote:

Peter Robinson wrote:
judith wrote:

When had you planted them?

11th March.

An old gardener I knew said to start digging earlies 12 to 14 weeks from
planting depending on the spring. I would think that this year 12 weeks
would be about right.

Which takes me to 3rd June, which is probably just about right based on
the first root I ripped untimely. Must be patient!

Peter