Poor potato crop

[Noosner]

Don't worry, Chooklady. I regularly think I'm crepe at gardening too - but then there is always at least one unexpected success, that keeps me going!

I've had potato problems this year and reading this thread, I reckon I fell down on both watering and feeding. I had lots of slug damage. I think that was down to a hazlenut tree that leafed up enormously and cast unexpected shade. I'm not going to plant potatoes in the same spot next year.

One thing I didn't understand though - I had a lot of green potatoes. Not sure why so if anyone's got any ideas, please share.

[Jonnyt]

Potatoes are green when the light gets to them.


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[Noosner]

Yes, that's what I understood also, Jonnyt. But these came out of the ground green and I can't see how the light could have got to them?

[Chooklady]

Just read this about green potatoes:

The green areas on tubers develop where the potato was exposed to the sun. This condition occurs when the potatoes were not planted deeply enough or not covered with straw.

The green portions taste bitter because they contain a moderately poisonous alkaloid. These green areas should be cut off and discarded.

[Penellype]

I grow my potatoes in bags and I find that however careful I am with watering I always manage to uncover the odd one or two, which then go green, even if you cover them up again. If the whole lot were green even from fairly deep down, then that is bizarre.

[kathyd]

Sorry to go marginally off-topic, but they started it!! Herbs! I have parsley in my polytunnel where it fries all summer long, and it grows so big it's almost as tall as me by the end of the season. Last year I had to cut it right back in autumn because it spread so wide I couldn't even get past it. Plus I have one chive plant and one thyme plant in there, both of which seem happy enough, and a small basil plant that must have self-seeded from last year. So please could someone explain why you shouldn't have herbs in a greenhouse (or tunnel presumably)? AND I managed to transplant 4 of the self seeded parsley plants from last year, despite their being a decent size when I did so, and they still appear to be thriving OK in pots outside the tunnel now - yet all the advice is that parsley won't transplant! It's all so confuuusing!! *Wail *

And don't get me started on potatoes (just to get back on topic ). I've tried dustbins inside and outside the polytunnel, raised beds and open ground inside and outside the polytunnel, and this is the first time I've ever had anything remotely resembling a (small) successful harvest from them. And yet, when I cut them open, so many of those 'perfect' potatoes in the box in the barn have great big brown holes and manky bits right inside, with no sign of a hole or any kind of entry point for a bug. What's all that about?? And yeah, I'm really bad at watering and feeding, so it's probably all my own fault . Maybe next year... So you're not alone Chooklady, join the club for the Exasperated but Determined to Succeed!

[Penellype]

It sounds like your potatoes are suffering from hollow heart kathyd. Hollow heart and internal browning | Potato Council

[starloc]

It does sound like a lack of fertiliser cutting the quantity down, in pots you need either a very big pot of very good soil ,with compost you need loads of fertiliser and gallons of water every day

Its a rubbish potato harvest for me here in Bulgaria as well, planted somewhere around 300 or 400 seed potatoes and under 200kg of potatoes back, enough but not what I wanted

I planted them 12 inch down under a heap of soil...earthed up before they had to be and went back to the UK....Here in Bulgaria it was very heavy rain and flooding for months, so water shouldn't have been a problem with mine, My soil is vey sandy so I think I needed some fertiliser in there, none added at all , not earthed up again

My main problems were 2 fold....blight eventually but mainly colorado beetles , they just chomped everything, when I got back here to Bulgaria I was squishing 20 or more every morning,

All mine have been out of the ground over 2 weeks now, when they died down completely.

Third best Swift, Red Duke of York were second best performers but best of all Pink Fir Apple with loads and loads per plant, most of the potatoes I have are Pink Fir Apple, seems that colorado beetles didn't like eating it, never found any on them , they don't seem to need fertiliser as much either

worst types were more normal ones like King Edward and Bluebell , maybe 1 of the 3 inch potatos per plant and 3 or 4 tiny 1 inch ones

[Floyd]

I've had mixed results with spuds this year. Planted loads at home in bags and my large 2' high raised beds using homemade compost and MPC all of which so far have given my best yields ever. Different story on the allotment though, I planted 14 rows of 10 into the soil and earthed them up (several varieties, can't for the life of me remember which ones). The first four rows have grown nicely as far as I can see, although they're not ready for pulling yet so I'm not sure what's happening underground. The remaining 10 rows haven't even broken the surface...not a shoot or sign they were ever planted! I'll have a closer inspection when I dig the whole patch over after I've pulled the 4 rows that are growing.

Spuds just seem to be fickle things.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Just harvested my first dustbin of main crop (Picasso) nearly 18lbs and no huge spuds. Bit down on normal but they have only been in the ground 18/19 weeks so there is hope for the remainder.

[teakdesk]

Just harvested my first dustbin of main crop (Picasso) nearly 18lbs and no huge spuds. Bit down on normal but they have only been in the ground 18/19 weeks so there is hope for the remainder.

Where is the emoticon for green with jealousy?

Well Done Pots!

How many seed potatoes was that from?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Just four. I have found over a number of seasons that Picasso do well for me in bins, taste good to.

[bananamelon]

i always found harvesting too early is biggest mistake you can make with potatoes. I let plants die back. then wait two weeks before i even think harvesting. even early varieties give better harvest if you patient.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I have to agree but the haulm had gone, you can wait forever but once the haulm has died it will not improve yield.

I usually try for at least 22 weeks for main crop but this for me and for many others things have moved on very quickly.

[Penellype]

I've found my potatoes are dying back very early this year. I even had a bag of Desiree on which all of the leaves had gone brown (a month earlier than last year), but there are still plenty of potatoes and they are fine.