Potatoes very slow

[Jimmy]

My Charlotte spuds have appeared but they seem to have stalled.
Normally once they poke their heads up they explode into growth.
Is it the weather?
Anyone else noticed problems?

Thanks
Jimmy

[Mr Bones]

I think we're all the same Jimmy, it's just been colder than other years. I rather get the impression our spuds are sticking their heads up from the ground and then wishing they could go back down for a bit

[Bren In Pots]

My Charlottes are doing the same just a few leaves have poked up over the soil and not done much since.

I did plant some in buckets leaving them in the GH until 10 days ago when I needed the space for my Toms and they've done much better than those planted outside.

[burnie]

The fields should have tatties peeping through round here, but nothing yet, this cold is putting everything back this year.

[Jungle Jane]

Mine weren’t doing much but they’ve had leaves for at least a couple of weeks so I earthed up the small stems around the leaves,leaving the leaves sticking out to catch the sun,mine liked that & has grown a bit all in the space of about a week.

[Sweet savory]

Certainly the ones in the ground were a bit slow to get going but they are well underway now with all the recent rain and the rise in overnight temps here. Biggest problem now is the resurgent slugs

[quanglewangle]

Started chiting our Charlotte 13th December, planted 14 January. Would normally start eating tiny ones end of April beginning of May sometime. This year they are very late. Just starting to form flower buds now. Will try a trial dig later this week.

[Penellype]

This is what my Charlotte potatoes look like this morning in their usual buckets on the raised beds:



They have been covered with bubble wrap to keep off the frost, but the problem has been that the air has been really cold where there is no sun, and these beds face north.

This is what they looked like last year on 1st June:


I do have some under a plastic cloche in a sunnier part of the garden, and these are doing a bit better:



Everything is behind because of the cold - both April and May have been well over 1 degree below average.

[Purple Primrose]

My tatties are really slow this year too. They only came through a week or two ago and are about 7cm tall at the moment. It's been a really cold, dull and windy Spring so everything is delayed.

The grass is growing so slowly that most of the local farmers still have their cattle in the byres because the ground is too wet and the grass isn't growing fast enough to sustain the animals. Normally they'd all have been out in the fields for over a month by now.

[Purple Primrose]

My tatties are growing nicely now. Still behind on last year, but that's to be expected due to the weather being cooler and windier than it usually is at this time of year.

[quanglewangle]

My Charlotte potatoes are finally flowering. Only five months after setting out!

So maybe a boiling in a couple of weeks...

[Bren In Pots]

I noticed flowers on mine the other day, they’ve been planted 12 weeks come this Tuesday.

[ameno]

My Charlottes are doing really well, but my first earlies (Swift), planted at the same time, are lagging behind. They emerged sooner, and got caught by frost, then just as they were regrowing a slug attack destroyed a lot of the leaves again. They're recovering well now, but are definitely behind. I can't imagine they'll be ready before the beginning of July.