potato harvest question

[Saraheliz]

Hi

This is the first year I have grown potatoes, I grew first and second earlies in compost bags, with chicken manure pellets, some garden soil and some compost and also some grass cuttings (& comfrey leaves).
I have chopped the leaves off now (as I was worried about blight and theyhad started to flower) after planting mid April (I think) and went to harvest and all there is are the seed potatoes I planted.
I earthed them up bit by bit and expected more than this!
Does anyone have any idea where I went wrong?
many thanks

Sarah

[COMPOST CORNER]

I think the seed potato's you planted will have disappeared by now, they "give there all" to start the plant growing.
You have had a less successful harvest than you expected, but still a harvest.
I was a little disappointed with my first early harvest, (Charlottes) but they were still tasty.

[bluemoon]

You may well have overdone the nutrients. A potato basically has two ways to ensure plants next year, it makes tubers which, if we didn't dig them would grow in the same place next spring, and it produces flowers which when fertilized make seeds for spreading far and wide. Too much loving care makes your average spud plant think that the living is easy and it goes the foliage-and-flower route at the expense of the tubers, if you control the growth by not over-feeding or over-watering then tubers form at the same time that the flowers and leaves - the plant is in effect hedging its bets. I've heard lots of people say they're disappointed with the crops from potato buckets and suspect it's because they've had too much of the good life.

[gojiberry]

I think you have over reacted to the possibility of blight and have chopped the tops before you have given the potatoes time to form new potatoes. Blight can be a serious problem but you need to make sure you have it before reacting. In the first instance sign up to blight watch as that will at least let you know if it is in your area. Second if it does strike, start by just taking off the infected leaves and burning and the plants may possibly get through. Once the stems have the black/brown blotches then cut the plants down to soil level and harvest what potatoes you have after 2/3 weeks.

Ian

[teakdesk]

I grew first and second earlies in compost bags,

... and theyhad started to flower...

after planting mid April (I think)

Mid April is only about 11 weeks ago.

First earlies need 10 to 13 weeks in a good season; second earlies 13 to 16 weeks... more in a bad one.

Starting to flower generally means they are around 3 to 4 weeks (or more) away from being ready - I have potatoes in flower that will not be harvested for another 10 weeks.

The tubers do most of their growing/swelling in the last 3 to 4 weeks.

with chicken manure pellets, some garden soil and some compost and alsosome grass cuttings (& comfrey leaves)

Chicken manure is full of nitrogen which gives lots of leaves - good for their first few weeks.

After that they could do with potassium to help the tubers grow.




I think you have just been a bit too early harvesting.

If you leave them, even with no top growth any more then you may get some potatoes.

[Saraheliz]

many thanks everyone I will leave them and see if the rest grow teakdesk, you never know.,thats really useful info blue moon, they did have great foliage, yes gojiberry I was worried as I have tomatoes nearby and would rather sacrifice the potatoes than tomatoes thx have signed up for blightwatch. thanks also to compost cornerxx