No spuds!

[josie84]

I have charlottes and maris pipers in bags. Started them off late March/early April, the green shoots are 2 - 3 feet tall and looking healthy with flowers starting to form. I tend to give them 1/4 - 1/2 of a 12ltr watering can each night as we haven't had rain for over a month and the top of the soil always look dry by the evening. I recently had a look in the charlottes to see how they were coming along, just intending to have a shallow fondle but went further and further down to about half way down and didn't find one single spud or evidence of spuds forming. Just compost and the shoots from the original seed potatoes. Did the same to the maris pipers and also found nothing. I was at least expecting teeny tiny spuds!

Is this normal and they just haven't had enough time or has something gone wrong?

I live in a valley and so they only receive sun from midday, could this be a problem? I could move them if necessary so they'd get a couple more hours of sun but I'd rather leave them where they are for ease of watering.

Also, how much should I be watering the potatoes? Currently - on the advice of a relative - they get a good soak everyday, but I've read that they should just have a decent soak once a week? It's so dry here with no rain for over a month, they're not being watered by the rain at all.

I am completely new to growing potatoes. I don't mind how long they take, the only thing which concerns me is the amount of compost they've taken up, it could be put to good use elsewhere if I've mucked these potatoes up.

[Sanjo]

Whereabouts are you Josie as it helps with advice. I tipped out a smallish buckets today (9 year old grandaughter's efforts) and initially she was very disappointed. Not a single spud in sight. Then we started pushing the compost aside and out they came.
From one tub she took 1lb 12oz of Homeguard spuds (and I certainly didn't water my tubs every day) but it may be different climate wise where you are. Pop your location on and other grapes may be able to advise you better.
Welcome to the Vine by the way.

[josie84]

I'm in Cornwall. Thankyou for your reply and welcome! I lurked on here all last summer and thought it was time for me to sign up.

[Bramble_killer]

They are probably still really tiny? Charlottes are second earlies and take 16 weeks to mature and you've only left them for half the time.

And for ones that flower, you should wait until they die back and then they should be ready.

[rustylady]

Give them a little bit longer. I tried spuds in bags, but much prefer growing in the open on the lottie - get better yields and they're easier to look after. Do you have to grow in bags?

[Rossa]

Hi Josie. Think you'll find you just need to be a little more patient. As far as I know Charlottes are 2nd earlies so need at least 14-16 weeks to mature. So you may not get anything before the end of next month. I have Charlottes in bags that I put in around 8-9 March and I won't be looking at them for at least another month.

I keep the bags moist but don't let them dry out as the tubers need water to swell up. It's a fine balance between moist and waterlogged. You may need to stick a finger down into the compost to check the moisture level cos even if the surface is dry you may find its ok further down the bag.

My 1st earlies are Red Duke of York and may have something for me to lift in a couple of weeks. Don't know about Maris Piper but someone else will know.

A good guide is to wait until they have finished flowering and the tops start to die off. You don't need to lift them all at once, you can leave them in the ground. I was a newbie to this 2 years ago and the people on this forum are very supportive so you'll be in good hands here.

[Sanjo]

Well, you'll learn lots here Josie, just ask. There is always somebody who knows what they are talking about. I too have some large containers with flowering Charlottes, International Kidney, Marfon. I had a llittle dig around the top of a couple and nothing at all. I shall have to be patient until the haulms die down.
Grandaughter's tub was just a £1 shop jobby so easier to tip out. I also tipped out another bucket for myself which was only slightly bigger (builders type from B & Q) and that had 1lb 14oz in it.
Watering container potatoes is a feely job. ie it might look dry on the surface but you need to stick your fingers down a few inches.
If the soil is moist then it doesn't need watering.
Our Tattieman is the expert and I am sure has tips on watering on his blog. If you haven't discovered him yet, seek him out, it's worth a visit.
As far as sunshine is concerned, my containers are a bit like yours. They don't get sunshine all day.
I have already re-used the tubs we have already emptied. I have sown radish, beetroot and lettuce into them.

[josie84]

Do you have to grow in bags?

For this year, yes. I will be moving house sometime, thought it would be the summer but now it's more likely autumn/winter so I am wary of putting anything in the ground and then having to move out and leave it! Am hoping to move my bags and containers with me.


Thankyou everybody for all your replies, I will be patience and leave them longer. Nice to know the compost hasn't been wasted.

[salilah]

I've got bags - Int Kidney, Charlotte, PFA (mains) and a few others (got over-enthusiastic with Tattieman's site - I have 36 yup 36 bags lined up in 2 lines along the path!

They went in some time between 1 April and 8 May (lost my notebook so not really sure when - earlier rather than later i think) - I checked an Int Kidney last night (tried to furtle*, but its really hard in a narrow bag!) - appear to have 3 large "old-looking" potatoes (but solid, so don't think they are the original seed pots) and about 7 very tiny new potatoes, and that was all... :-(

However, the haulms look healthy (and about 4ft high) so I'm watering weekly and will wait another 2-3 weeks to check!

(impatient)
Salilah

* which means I now have 35 bags of potatoes - the only way to see what was there was to remove the haulms sadly, so one bag down...

[maytreefrannie]

I have Maris Piper (main crop, I think) and British Queens (second earlies, I think) - both are flowering and as they only went in on 1st April I was wondering if it's too early for them to flower? Another gardener told me they were ready, so I checked one lot and found a few small spuds (we cooked and ate them!), but I gather they will need quite a bit more time?

Normally I leave potatoes until the flowers die off, but I am surprised at them flowering so soon - is it OK for them to flower so early? I've grown potatoes other years and I always seem to be waiting forever to see those flowers.

[bramble]

Maytreefrannie, they might be flowering earlier this year because of the nice weather. If it were me I would give them another 4 weeks and leave them until the middle or the end of July.
Good luck and hope you get a good crop.

[maytreefrannie]

Thanks, Bramble, I'll take your good advice.

[gardendancer]

i just wanted to add, I have harvested some of y Charlotte, and I found that they potatoes in the bag were at the very bottom, I thought there would be none from furtling quite far down ( took the out as they were looking a bit sickly and i panicked that is was blight). mind you I planted mine out very early.

[Twinkle]

At school we've done Sharpe's Express in bags (competition to see which class gets the biggest yield from one spud)
Planted them early (mid-March) and left them in the light shed to avoid frost as we wanted them ready for when school breaks up (tomorrow) so we could eat them !!!

Had a poke as the tops are nice and big, but not flowering, and nowt in the way of a potato at all !!! Kids are quite gutted...

Yet my Charlottes at home are ready for eating - I also planted some Sharpes Express in my plot as a backup, but nowt from them either, so the second earlies have passed them

[Sanjo]

I expect you will be turning them out today anyway as it's the end of school and at least if all the bags are the same there is still some element of competition in it. My charlottes are still growing away and flowering so will be leaving them for a while. It must be disappointing for the children, especially as Sharpes is an early (I think!). Not all spuds flower anyway so perhaps that's no indication.
Good luck - tell them lots of grown ups have had disasters this year too. Nature is like life in general - unpredictable!