To all first time spud growers

[tootles]

A lesson learned the hard way;

When you harvest your potatoes, make sure you pull up every little tiny bit of spud you find.
Then go over the whole patch again!

I have pulled up loads of volunteer potato plants this spring, from bits left behind last year. One rooter was baking potato sized - how did I miss that!!!

Even the tiniest speck of potato can root and grow next spring.

Be vigilant!

[mythyme]

or can grow 2 years on!!! have got volunteers on a raised bed that has not had spuds on for 2 years and like you, a furkle in the ground reveals giant mutant spuds. So how come they were not that big during the season when they shoul d have grown

[jacob marley]

A good way to get eelworm is to let the self setters grow get rid of the lot leaving not recomended....jacob

[SarzWix]

Also, the left-over ones that re-grow the next year can be blight carriers Another good reason not to leave them to grow!

[GrubbyGirl]

I'm a first timer, growing in pots though. Interestingly I planted some seed pots as well as 5 Anya's I had in the fridge (thought I'd give them a go). The Anya's are growwing much better than the seed pots. I guess the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, but why would seed potatoes be better than supermarket ones?

Angela

[teakdesk]

Seed potatoes are certified disease free.

Supermarket ones are not.

Some supermarket special varieties are grown abroad and could carry dieases not native to this country.

If you do grow supermarket types I would recommend growing in containers and composting the soil afterwards - or dump it in the dustbin.

[geoff]

The remedy for volunteer potatoes is to rotate your crops over a 4 year pattern, he says smugly
Unfortunately it's a question of doing what I say, not what I do!

[tootles]

The remedy for volunteer potatoes is to rotate your crops over a 4 year pattern, he says smugly
Unfortunately it's a question of doing what I say, not what I do!

I have a 3 year rotation for my spuds - it doesn't stop the blighters popping up among this year's toms, beans and courgettes!

[Alice]

And don't put the potato peelings in the compost. The blighters grow.

[gojiberry]

No matter how careful you are there is always a couple that are missed and come up next year. I always dig them up straight away if possible, but sometimes its difficult when it is right in the middle of a seed bed. Then it's just a case of keep chopping the top off. The only place I allow stragglers is on the compost heap.

Ian

[kerryp]

And don't put the potato peelings in the compost. The blighters grow.

REALLY??? oh my god my compost must have LOADS of peelings in it!!! Im new to this growing veg lark though....

[lynda66]

i found one today in my sweetcorn patch

[sweetiepea]

I’ve never had so many rogue spuds! I try to be fastidious about removing even the tiniest marbles, but obviously I didn’t do such a good job last year. No big ones left though. This year’s are coming from miniscule tubers!

[Demeter]

REALLY??? oh my god my compost must have LOADS of peelings in it!!! Im new to this growing veg lark though....

They do grow, but don't necessarily let that stop you putting them on the heap... You can just pull up any plants that do try to grow and chuck the foliage back on the heap. I seem to have one or two every year, but they don't seem to cause a problem. (In theory there may be a blight risk, but if you are going to pull them up on sight they should not get the chance to do any harm.)

[kerryp]

maybe thats what we found growing in the compost yesterday then! couldnt figure out what it was when we dug through following this "thing" but it had come from the bottom of the compost bin right up to the top! looked more like a giant spring onion to me though but then again ive never seen what plants look like under ground