Potatoes

[becslb]

Just a quickie question.... I still have about 5-6 rows of potatoes in the ground - the foliage has died off now. Can I leave them in the ground and harvest as needed or should I be lifting them now and storing?

thanks

[OllieMartin]

The foliage off my earlies died off ages ago, but I only lift them as needed. Not sure about frost though, they'll probably need lifting before the first one.

[haza1981]

Guy on my plot told me to get mine up now as slugs will get them if not.....is this right

[becslb]

I did wonder about the slugs this morning.... think I will make the effort to lift them all next week... the rest of the weeding ahem clearing and digging can wait!

[John Yeoman]

Yes, I'd get the potatoes out of the ground before 21st October - which is around the first frost date in central UK. (Except when you're counting on that date, of course, to delay harvesting your late tomatoes until the last moment. Then a killer air frost hits on 1st October!)

BTW: I found a superb use for horsetail (Equisetum arvens) last year, in storing potatoes. I had a paddock full of the wretched weed so rather than burn it (you can't rely on the roots dying in a compost heap) I dried it. The fronds made a perfect storage medium for potatoes (and other tubers), packed in an old freezer in the garage. Perhaps one reason is, unlike straw, dried horsetail doesn't easily rot.

[solway cropper]

When I was a schoolboy tattie-picking week was the middle of October and that's around the time when most maincrops were lifted. having said that I'd lift them if the foliage is dead, dry them off and get them into paper sacks in a cool dry place.

Take no notice of first frost dates, nature doesn't work like that. Last year we'd had severe frosts by late October which burst the boiler in my static caravan. I normally drain the system last week in october but I think last winter was nature's way of saying it's in charge....not us.

[becslb]

Lifted them today and they are now drying on the chicken run

[gojiberry]

If I had left my spuds this late there wouldn't have been anything to dig up as the slugs would have eaten the lot.

Ian

[becslb]

I have been very suprised - a couple of potatoes have small holes from some insect but the rest are in superb condition. Only a few baking size potatoes though, the rest are small fist sized or smaller.

For the amount of backbreaking work it took to plant the seed potatoes, earth up and then dig up for the amount we had off them, I am wondering whether it is worth growing any next year though...... can't decide...

[Alison]

I've dug some of mine up but not all as I haven't really got room to cure them all easily in one go. I am however intending to get them all out before the first frosts so that they're easy access in the garage as it's so convenient. Having said that, the ones which I missed last year and found in the spring were still absolutely fine and had no frost damage what so ever despite a very cold winter so it's up to you really.