Last years potatoes

[Dorothy rouse]

I obviously didn't do a very good job of lifting my potatoes last year, and now have them popping up in all the wrong places, like in the middle of my onion bed, and amongst the broccoli, is it best to dig them and disturb the onions that are growing well, or is there something I cud put on them to stop them growing? Basically kill them off without killing the stuff they are growing amongst.

[bearded bloke]

I would keep snapping off the greenery at or just below ground level,rather than disturb your other crops,sooner or later the tuber will run out of energy

[rustylady]

Like BB said, just pull up the green shoots.

[Methe]

My newly acquired second half has got some potato shoots coming up from the previous tenant. I know she didn't use the plot last year so they much have grown from potatoes which have been in the ground for a couple of years at least.. Will be be edible?

[Two_Sheds]

of course they'll be edible (as long as they're not green, of course).


My earliest spuds are always volunteers from the previous year

[rustylady]

"Volunteer" potatoes will produce a crop which will be edible, but if they are interfering with a crop you've sown (peas for example) then just pull the shoots up.

[Loubear]

We've had quite a few meals from volunteer spuds already this year - just when I think I've got them all, another one pops up. Luckily mine are cropping up in an area where I haven't planted anything yet this year.


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[Dorothy rouse]

Thank you all, I had been pulling them up, but went up today before the heavy rain, and they seem to be everywhere!

[Kristen]

I don't allow my Volunteer Spuds to become a "crop". I figure that I am doing crop rotation to provide a total break between crops, and don't want anything to "bridge" that gap.

If you had blight last year the volunteer ones might be carrying that, and infect this year's crop, so worth rouging them out IMO.

[Dorothy rouse]

I've pulled/dug them up today. I've moved my potato bed to a different spot this year, and have planted far fewer.