How do I know when my Charlottes are ready?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Seeing how you have no idea when you planted it could just be to early. For instance have a furtle at 8 weeks and you would find very little.

Other causes could be lack of water spuds are about 90% water at harvest or lack of nutrients.

[gardening_gal]

I really must keep a diary of some sort instead of relying on my (ever decreasing!) memory.

I had thought they were planted around 10-12 weeks ago but I could very well be wrong. I don't think water would have been an issue, we get more than our fair share of rain here and they get watered on dry days too if needed.

I'll leave them another couple of weeks and try again.

Thank you everyone.

[Jungle Jane]

Looking at the height of the grow pots the potatoes are probably just lower down. Like if you keep earthing potatoes up,I never get many a metre away from the seed potato if you know what I mean,the potatoes will be near the seed. But as the leaves are still green,there's no rush to harvest the potatoes will still be growing. You could feed them with a tomato feed if you haven't already.

[Potstubsdustbins]

In a container like that once the haulm as formed over the top of the container rain will make very little difference a potato haulm is one of nature's finest umbrella's. My neighbours often look sideways at me watering my spuds in the drizzle.

It is also surprising just how much water they need in hot weather my dustbin's get two gallons a day any less and the top of the compost is wet but at the bottom where it is needed it is dry.

[bearded bloke]

There are three layers BB,

Hmmmm, could take a while yet, as I understand it, the more the collars the longer it takes to get a crop, depending on when you set the seeds itcould well be quite a while yet before you get a crop, keep watering & feeding them until the haulms have died back, maybe next year try it ; Earlies 1collar, 2nd earlies 2collars & main crop 3collars

[gardening_gal]

I've just read this, it's part of a review on Amazon. The buyer had grown potatoes in both this system and also ordinary pots.

"Both planters this year had potatoes in the base segment, and nowhere else. I had long strong plants through the upper levels but nothing to harvest. In contrast each of the three pots of potatoes had a better return. Like I said I am not sure the planter delivers more crop than a standard tub/pot"

I suspect this will be my experience too. I'm itching to open that bottom part just to see.

(I keep updating this in case anyone searches for info on this grow pot system in the future.)

[Jungle Jane]

That's what I'm thinking,all the potatoes will be near the seeds but they'l be growing bigger everyday,if the leaves are still healthy green looking the potatoes could be very small still. What could be done with the three sections another time is add a couple more seed potatoes as you add the rings,then there would be potatoes everywhere. Its interesting to see what happens,I hope you get loads of potatoes & I wonder where the top potato is found,if it's halfway in the grow pot or where?

[Potstubsdustbins]

I find that main crop seem to be better at growing higher up in the container than either early's or second early's why this is I do not know it's just an observation over the years. I will often find Picasso within a couple or three inches of the surface of the compost.

[Penellype]

Agree with Potty - the earlies always seem to be at the bottom of the buckets but the maincrop ones are much nearer the surface and you have to be careful to cover up any that get exposed by watering otherwise they go green.

[gardening_gal]

Quick update...

Two of the towers had foliage that had turned quite yellow quite quickly and on checking closer, two of the stems had gone completely black and were withered.

I figured it was best not to leave them so I emptied them out and this is what I got from the two of them combined.



There is a huge difference in size range. Each tub had several largish potatoes and a number of small ones.

Also, there were no potatoes at all in any of the upper layers, they were only in the very bottom section.

If I use these tubs again, I think I'll go with JJ's suggestion about adding a (?) seed potato (es) when the next layer gets added.

There's still one tower that is growing, the foliage is still quite green so I'll leave that one for now but I don't expect the crop to be any different.

This is the first time I've used this system, it's not as good as I had expected it to be tbh and the sections have a tendency to not stay clicked together when it's very windy. Although they don't collapse or topple, they do kinda have a Leaning Tower of Pisa look about them.

I also noted that the earth at the bottom was a lot dryer than elsewhere. Each layer has a watering section supposedly to aid even watering but I just don't think it worked all that well.

A normal large tub or bag would have done the same if not better job I think.

I'm sure other people will have positive feelings about this system but sadly I don't think it's 'all that', as my daughter would say.

[BUFFS]

Charlottes are my most favourite spud...so, so versatile for a waxy spud....and the flavour...well, just way more than yummy!

try sitting them on 6ins of seaweed when you plant them, the taste is amazing....we are only 1mile from the sea as the crow flies..