When do i harvest rooster potatoes

I hope this helps Andrew. After a potato flowers it produces seeds in what look like little green tomatoes potatoes and tomatoes are related btw and these are the true seed of the potato. I am just trying to be accurate for your project, potato breeders will grow potatoes from seed to create new varieties but gardeners will always grow from last years potatoes as this gives you exactly the same variety as was grown the previous season growing from potatoes is essentially cloning.

True potato seed is referred to as potato seed while the potatoes we plant are referred to as seed potatoes. But to answer your question: seed potatoes are stored safely in a cool dark place away from frost. Hahahaha I told you all this potato stuff is new to me Thank you I would have written potato seeds in the project if you would not have told me.

Victoria Lawson, i am a little tiny victory gardener. I planted a few potatoes last year. The were a disaster. Can i plant them anyhow. Its the 6th of April. I would advise getting new potatoes and starting again. Where are you planting your potatoes? What happened that they were a disaster last year?

They should be pretty easy to grow in the right conditions. We had some happenings that meant no time for gardening this year, however I have sprouted seed potatoes that were a good intention. Is there time to plant covering with heavy plastic over hoops at night , for a harvest in October? Also, How deep can potatoes be planted to be below soil freeze line to not so deep that they rot?

Wanting to make something work for the maybe 20 seed potatoes I have. Hi Linda Sprouted potatoes will not over winter. I would suggest that in your location you need to get the potatoes in early in the season. You could put your plants in now if they are an early variety and hope to get a harvest before the Winter hits but this is far from ideal.

From your replies above, I gather that the potato harvest time depends on: a variety, b planting date. I am surprised that it is not possible to judge what is going on underground by the appearance of the top growth, e. Any comments? In general you are correct, potatoes flower and then die back which is when the potatoes are ready to harvest. Once the foliage yellows and falls over you can harvest the crop though in the case of maincrop varieties it is highly likely the potatoes will have been effected by blight before this happens.

We planted our potatoes, and plants were coming up good. We were told to cover the entire plant with soil which we did constantly. Now the plants appear to be no longer growing. Do we harvest now? Hi Tracy. I think you may have been misinformed here. The potato plant then needs to be allowed to grow up to cm above the soil to create the energy to grow the potatoes below the soil. Are you saying you covered all the green foliage with soil?

Hi, I have been making compost for 2 years. Can I add this to the soil now and plant spuds shortly afterwards? Hi Andrew I just came across your website. I am a primary school teacher. We just did a module on the famine and got lumpers to plant in grow bags Is it too late to plant them? Are there any other varieties that would be good to plant at this time just to give thecchikdren the experience if growing.

Thank you. You can still plant the potatoes now, they will still grow and will be ready to harvest in October. Obviously you will need someone to water them over the Summer. It will be difficult other varieties at this time of year so I think you will have to go with what you have. The lumpers will be likely to get blight in August but I guess that makes them even more authentic….

Hi Andrew, For the first timer l grew queens and Kerr pinks in large bin containers. Got a great harvest from the queens 2 kg and have yet to harvest the pinks in a few weeks. Just wondering of l can plant roosters now and will l treat them for blight? Cheers Anne. Unfortunately you will be a but late to start potatoes at this time of year. If you have a polytunnel you might get away with growing some if you can get your hands on some seed potatoes.

Hi Andrew. I planted them in late April and they seemed to thrive. They never flowered. Thank you, Laura. Hi Laura Please accept my apologies for the late reply to your question. As King Edwards are main crop I would not expect they have got to the natural end of their growing cycle but they may have succumbed to blight. Do the leaves have dark brown blotches on them?

Hi all Got my first early potatoes from you last week and got them during the week thanks very much for you top quality seed and fast delivery as always I seem to have a problem getting into you potatoes list this morning I was trying to look at 2nd early kinds but no luck. I was delayed planting them because the company I was getting the grow bags off kept delaying delivery and eventually cancelled my order altogether.

I only got to plant them 27th of May. Will this hinder my crop? Hi Neil. The potatoes will be fine but the harvest will be a little later. Hi Annie. Unless the leaves have blight dark brown spots I would be inlcined to leave them in the ground to put on more growth.

I have grown potatoes in potato bags for the last two seasons and they have grown well. I was wondering what I should do with the compost from these bags now. I refreshed the compost this year with almost all new organic compost but do I need to throw it out before next year or store it in the shed?

Thanks so much, Yolanda. Hi, thanks for such a helpful site. I have just planted earlies into the ground in my back garden and I have no idea if, and if so how often and in what quantities, I am meant to water them. Many thanks in advance. Hi Ronan, glad you find the information useful. No need to water now. Hi quickcrop. I planted your early spuds easter weekend and are growing great. But now i notice a few of the leaves are starting to turn yellow.

Does this mean they are ready to harvest soon or is it a disease? Hi Catherine, are they in containers?

If they are in containers, it could be that they need a feed. You could give them some tomato feed and see how they go. It could also be that they need more water. Do let us know how you get on. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content Loading Earthing up, feeding and checking for pests and diseases should also be a regular routine.

They should be ready for harvesting in about weeks, which will be around mid-September onwards. Leave the stems to die off completely before lifting. These are the varieties you will store throughout the winter months and so the skins need to be set first if they are going to last the winter.

If they are left in the ground too long they will lose that fresh new potato taste as the skins begin to harden and thicken. They are always best eaten within a day or two of lifting and will generally only keep in a cool, dry place for about days. Despite many opinions and recommendations, all potatoes do not store well in a fridge or freezer and will lose their fresh taste. They will also taste dry and sometimes sweet. Fresh is always best. Carefully use a garden fork and not a spade to unearth your potatoes.

Maincrop potatoes will store for much longer periods due to their thicker skins and texture. They can be kept in dry hessian or paper sacks and stored in a cool, dry, frost-free shed for many months, which should see you through the winter.

Ensure there are no damaged potatoes in your sacks because they will rot and affect all the other potatoes. They also need to be kept in the dark to prevent sprouting and greening. Never eat green potatoes as they will contain solanine, which is quite toxic.

There has always been some debate about whether the flowers of potato plants should be removed. In theory, by removing the flower, the plant will divert more of its energy into the growing potatoes. However, the difference is thought to be quite negligible so it really all comes down to personal choice and preference. It is however only an indication and so a test dig will reveal whether they have reached a size considered ready for harvesting. If they are still very small then simply leave them for another week or two, in which time they will grow very quickly.

With maincrop potatoes, wait until the stems have died down completely before lifting. As a guide, harvest first and second earlies weeks after planting. Remember you can leave them in the ground for further 2 weeks, rather than lift them all at the same time.

Maincrop potatoes are usually ready in September but again you can wait until November to lift them or wait until just before the first frosts. Maincrop potatoes can be stored in hessian or paper sacks and placed in a cool, dry and dark shed.

An excellent all rounder, producing oval tubers with pale yellow, dry, floury flesh that is incredibly versatile for boiling, baking, chipping, and roasting. Height and spread: 60cm 24". How to grow potatoes in the ground? Potato Selector Guide How to grow potatoes in bags??? How to stop blight. Codes 2kg approx potato tubers KB 1kg approx potato tubers Plant maincrop potatoes from March.

When growing maincrop potatoes in the ground avoid planting in soil where potatoes have grown for two years in succession to reduce the risk of disease. Prepare the planting area in a sheltered position in full sun on moist well drained soil. Dig in plenty of well rotted manure. Plant potatoes in rows at a spacing of 45cm 18". Place the seed potatoes into 10cm 4" deep trenches and backfill the soil to refill the trenches. When shoots reach 20cm 8" , mound up soil around the shoots leaving just a few cm showing.

Repeat this process after a further 3 weeks. Where space is limited, try growing potatoes in potato bags on the patio. Fill the potato bags by one third with good quality compost mixed with some well rotted manure.