Potato advice needed please

[chooknveg]

Hi, first time here and in need of a little advice.
we are in the midlands and are growing main crop spuds again this year, now the question I have (as it is not in any of the gardening books) is my potato plants when finished flowering then go on to develop seed heads (gauls I think they are called) the foliage never dies back just flops under the weight. This happened last year and we ended up losing a fair amount of Maris Piper to slugs, the Desiree didn't have to much damage, was this because we left them to long before lifting (Sept) For our area when would be the best time to lift the spuds and should we cut the seed heads off?

[Jax]

Have you tried nematodes? They help with slugs, as for pulling the spuds up it all depends on when you have planted them but roughly 15 weeks (I think)

[Bigmallly]

I'll start looking at my Maris Piper around July (about 16-20 weeks from planting) time so maybe you did leave them a little late.

[Two_Sheds]

The seed heads are of no use unless you fancy growing your own spud from their seeds.

The foliage will die off when the spuds are ready: it turns yellow and dies off naturally.

If your foliage is lush and green, perhaps you are feeding/watering too much?

I left my maincrop in the ground until I needed them (I was still digging them up in the winter) I don't get too much slug damage because I don't water the soil (they love a nice moist soil surface). I water into pop bottles or large flower pots sunk in the soil.

[chooknveg]

gauls or no gauls

Just goes to show you, you can't believe everything you read. Thank you very much for the helpful bits of advice, I shall certainly be watering less and keeping a watchful eye on the plants, I can now go and wage war on the slugs (no chemicals I promise)(chickens only) although at the moment the frogs that move in at this time of year are putting paid to them with great gusto. I'm thinking of putting an 'all you can eat sign up for them'