Is it game over for my frost hit potatoes?

[Samuel1988]

Morning all,

A few nights back I covered my potatoes with some of that hort fleece (its the type that seems to be easily ripped apart) and the wind must have blown the cover and so upon checking my potatoes the next morning frost had hit them.

Most of the leaves are blackish but there are several leaves on each plant that have not been troubled.

Is it the end for the potatoes? What can I do? Should I cut off the damaged leaves?

Thanks for your replies.

Samuel

[Alison]

If it's only some leaves then they will be OK but it will set them back a bit. I'd just leave them but earth up what you can for added protection.


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[Nicos]

Don't worry...I get that happening to mine every year in early June!

They always re grow and produce a decent crop.
Needless to say mine are still waiting to be planted.

Just earth them up a bit more as Alison suggests and then cover yours again with the fleece.

[Nannysally99]

I've been covering mine with newspapers, seems to be working, fingers crossed

[Bill HH]

I am sure they will be fine, the tuber is the powerhouse and will be sending up more leaves in no time.
You could always make frozen chips however.

[arpoet]

I cover mine with an old mattress protector.

[Knight of Albion]

You should be alright. The potato is tougher than its given credit for.

Any number of things can be used to protect them from frost at night. As long as its dry, newspaper is as good as anything. (You might need a few strategically placed stones to stop it blowing out of place if its windy.)

[Aberdeenplotter]

Needless to say mine are still waiting to be planted.

Well done missus. I just don't understand this needless lemming like rush to get spuds planted. We all know they will be hit with frost if planted too early and as sure as a cat is a hairy beast it happens.

Mine also have yet to be planted and yet there can be frosts up here into early June. I am now counting the days down to the twentieth and then they will be planted on the first suitable day.

[Nicos]

In France there are 3 Saint Days .. Saint Mamert,Saint Pancrace and Saint Servais which always fall on the 11, 12 and 13th May each year.

These are supposed to be the last frost dates for the whole of France!

yeh.....pull the other one!

[Kristen]

I plant "a few", at the end of the allocated row's space, of First Earlies "early" and the rest of the row as late as reasonable. Those "few" are easier to protect (than having to do a whole row) and are enough for us to eat between when we first start harvesting them until the rest of the row (planted later) are ready.

The first batch are not planted all that early as I also do half a dozen containers (3 seed tubers each) in the greenhouse, and those tide us over from "very early harvest" to when the first outdoor ones come ready.

When I was younger and ignorant-er! I used to go out, often late at night with a torch, trying to get protection in place over 4 rows of spuds ... not any more!

[Nicos]

...and that's impossible to do if you are working and have to commute to your allotment!

[Alison]

I've got some showing in the polytunnel for an early crop but my outdoor ones will hopefully go in this weekend - should have been last weekend but I ran out of time and had other things to do at the plot which were more pressing.

[Martin H]

I put four tubers in mid February. As of last weekend they were fine so I covered them with some spare sheets of glass against this week's forecast cold nights. It will be interesting to see how they are getting on when I go down to the allotment tomorrow.

Meanwhile I got some more earlies in over the last 2 weekends and will probably get the rest of my maincrop in over Easter. It's a bit earlier than I usually finish but fingers crossed for no late May frosts this year and I'll be okay.

[Ananke]

I got mine in yesterday, nothing like living life on the edge

[binley100]

The only ones I've got showing are some volunteers and the frost we had t'other night hasn't seemed to have affected them ....