When to harvest my potatoes

[IanM]

Hi all,
I am growing Rocket potatoes in sacks that I got from Unwins earlier in the year. The foliage is very healthy indeed. It has been there for some time now, possibly 3-4 weeks and no flowers although I don't think Rocket is a prolific flowerer. The foliage seems to be a bit droopy today but should I wait for it to die off?

[zazen999]

Have a furtle and see what you find. I think Rocket are ready in about 10-12 weeks - but you'd have to check on that.

[Mrscrob]

Loving the phrase, 'have a furtle' ****

Have a furtle and see what you find. I think Rocket are ready in about 10-12 weeks - but you'd have to check on that.

[Florence Fennel]

Zazen my potatoes are in posh sacks this year (I grew them in compost bags last year and just tipped them all out) with velcroed (is that really a word?) slits in the sides. I have tried to furtle but the compost is so compact I can't get my hand in properly and I'm worried I might do some damage. Shall I furtle from the top, or is that pootling? Thanks for any advice. Flo x

[IanM]

So there is no need to wait for the foliage to die back or anything? I shall have a furtle tomorrow

[helanuels]

pootling? I'm confused, once again.

[zazen999]

Not with earlies....no need to wait for the foliage to die back or they will be jacket potato sized...

Flo - if they are in sacks and the compost is too compact, can you get a smallish dibber to dig around to loosen it? Make sure your type of potato has had long enough [check the weeks to harvest on a potato growing website] and start furtling after that.

[Alice]

It's not easy to furtle in a container.
If you don't want to wait for the foliage to die back - I do - then
Tip the conainer on it's side
press all round th container to loosen the contents
slide the contents out (they will come in a piece)
have a poke into the compost and see what you see
If good, then harvest your crop
If lots of small potatoes then you can take any good ones you see and slide the contents with the small potatoes back into the container. Leave for a couple of weeks. They will grow on. Honest.

[IanM]

I checked my notes and I put the growsacks outside in April. I had them in the greenhouse early on out of the frost. They were pretty much earthed up then.

[Florence Fennel]

pootling? I'm confused, once again.

Sorry, don't be confused, furtling is a recognised word whilst pootling is just something I made up.

[Florence Fennel]

Thanks again Alice, I'm patient enough to wait for the foliage to die back ... I think.
Flo

[IanM]

Pootling to me is like 'pootling along' from the verb 'to pootle'

On the furtling front, I had a go this morning and about 4 inches down I came across something firm and about 1.5 inches long So either I have potatoes or someone lost a golf ball!

Now I assume the ones lower down will be bigger as they have been at it longer. What do you think? Should I harvest the first growsack??

[Florence Fennel]

Hi Ian - and there's me thinking I made it up. Does furtling have something to do with being furtive I wonder? I'm going to wait to harvest until the foliage dies down. I did try the furtling with a dibber, but it was a bit like paddling with socks on, so I'm going to have a little patience. Can you manage to do what Alice suggested and tip the container on it's side so you can bung it all back in if they're not big enough? Good luck anyway.
Flo

[IanM]

Not sure to be honest. They are growsacks so they are quite floppy on their own. I must admit it is extremely tempting. I am quite excited at the thought of harvesting my first ever potato crop I doubt once I get started that I would put it back, I would be more likely to harvest the lot

Oh and I made the pootling thing up btw Although we do use 'pootling along' up here.

Another good word we use is fankle. If things get knotted up, like a ball of string for example, we say it is fankled.

[Emmylou]

I had my first furtle on my first ever first earlies last night!!
After a little peek i found two lovely sized potatoes, and a few marble sized ones.
I guess we could get a feed if I dug a root, and by the time we get to the end of the row they should be fine. Swift by the way.
I suppose its just a case of "suck it and see".