Hello,

Following the advice here I bought some seed potatoes. I found 2nd
earlies and main crop in the garden centre and took them home and
chitted them. Later I bought some 1st earlies too. All varieties are
now growing, but the 2nd earlies are taller than the 1st earlies; I
don't know if that's because they had a head start as I bought the 1st
earlies slightly later or whether that variety just grows taller
anyway? It could also be the 1st earlies are slightly more in the
shade.

I have just moved to this garden so I don't have an established
compost heap, so I have been buying compost to help with the earthing
up. I have not used any feeds, so perhaps they have taken nutrients
from the compost? What feeds do you recommend if any? I haven't done
much watering; the rain has taken care of that. So with the exception
of earthing up, they have been relatively maintenance free. What
should I be doing to them?

Finally, and most importantly, how do I know when it is time to
harvest the tubers?

Thanks.

In article ,
writes
Hello,

Following the advice here I bought some seed potatoes. I found 2nd
earlies and main crop in the garden centre and took them home and
chitted them. Later I bought some 1st earlies too. All varieties are
now growing, but the 2nd earlies are taller than the 1st earlies; I
don't know if that's because they had a head start as I bought the 1st
earlies slightly later or whether that variety just grows taller
anyway? It could also be the 1st earlies are slightly more in the
shade.

I have just moved to this garden so I don't have an established
compost heap, so I have been buying compost to help with the earthing
up. I have not used any feeds, so perhaps they have taken nutrients
from the compost? What feeds do you recommend if any? I haven't done
much watering; the rain has taken care of that. So with the exception
of earthing up, they have been relatively maintenance free. What
should I be doing to them?

Finally, and most importantly, how do I know when it is time to
harvest the tubers?

The time to begin lifting maincrop potato tubers is after flowering has
finished and the haulms are beginning to wither. The tubers can be left
in longer than that to mature but they will have reached their maximum
size by then and they will be vulnerable to wireworm and other attacks.

Early varieties grow and mature more quickly than maincrop. 1st. and
2nd. earlies can be lifted as soon as flowers are seen, or even earlier
than that, though they will not have reached full size by then. Tubers
are edible at any size. The height or volume of top growth is not a
direct indication of the amount of crop underneath, in fact over large
haulms could be taking some of the plant's energy from the tubers.

From what you describe, no further nutrients seem necessary, but if you
can earth any of them up more, especially the maincrop, it will give you
a bigger crop. Ordinary soil will do for that unless it is known to be
infected with any diseases.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.