First Early Potato Harvest

[lumpyjumper]

Hi All,

Growing my first potatoes this year ( Pentland Javelin) in a potato planter and also in a large potato sack.

They are growing well, I earthed up frequently and now I have over 2 ft of growth out of the top of the containers which are full to the brim with compost/Soil.

My question is, when do I harvest them? Someone mentioned flowering but there is no sign of flowers yet, when should I expect them?

Thanks for any help you can give.

[Flummery]

Not all earlies flower LJ. Wait till they've been in for 12 weeks. Then you can rummage around under the soil and have a feel how big they are, but by then I'm sure they'll be fine. I planted some in pots in the greenhouse in mid-Feb - well lagged and fleeced up, and they are now eaten. We're currently eating the Anyas, 3 to a shrub tub in the greenhouse at end Feb. They stayed in the greenhouse until a few weeks ago. I've only rummaged so far but have had 3 meals for 2 from them - and the plants are still in and growing. Length of growing time is the best way to tell really.

[lumpyjumper]

Thanks Flummery,

I planted them on Easter Monday, so that's just over 10 weeks ago so I reckon another couple of weeks and I can start rummaging. Can't wait!!!!

I couldn't believe the speed of growth, in one week I ended up earthing them up 3 times as they were growing more than 4-5 inches a day.

[Winged one]

Oh cool - I am away this weekend, but I can have a little "furtle" next weekend for mine too (we planted on Easter Saturday). Makes up for having to miss out on a trip to the plot this weekend!!

[danski]

im a newbie to all this guys....Whats earthing up? spuds are first on the list when the gardens shaped up!

[Demeter]

im a newbie to all this guys....Whats earthing up? spuds are first on the list when the gardens shaped up!

Hi Danski - welcome to the vine.

Earthing up is when you mound up soil around the stems (and over the leaves if need be) of the plant. With spuds, you do it to encourage the plant to produce more tubers and also to keep the tubers well covered because otherwise they go green in the light and will be poisonous!

By the way, the "search" button in the top right is very useful as lots of the sorts of questions we newbies need to ask have already been answered in a few older threads, so it's a great resource to use as a first port of call.

Good luck with getting that garden shaped up!

[Stephenph]

"Green potatoes are poisonous"
This is not quite true.
It s the green skin that contains solanine, which is related to deadly nightshade. It appears on teh skin of potatoes if they are not hidden from the sunshine and buried well.
You can peel of the skin until no green appears, but it is preferable to bury your potatoes well and if you see any appearing on the top of the soil, "earth them up", ie cover them well with soil.
This will also help the tubers to grow more potatoes!
Look up Solanine on Wikipedia if you are worried..............

[Tripmeup]

This thread is from 2008..bit late answering

[rustylady]

"Green potatoes are poisonous"
This is not quite true.
It s the green skin that contains solanine, which is related to deadly nightshade. It appears on teh skin of potatoes if they are not hidden from the sunshine and buried well.
You can peel of the skin until no green appears, but it is preferable to bury your potatoes well and if you see any appearing on the top of the soil, "earth them up", ie cover them well with soil.
This will also help the tubers to grow more potatoes!
Look up Solanine on Wikipedia if you are worried..............

Thank you for that Stephen