potato flowers help please

[serenity]

I have problem (another, apart from the seed addiction)

I planted most of my potatoes in pots this year, swift, lady crystal, charlotte rooster and pink fir apple. Some in 40 ltr bins and some in florists buckets. I am almost sure my 4 yr old has swapped the labels round, she denys it but I put all the labels in the same corner and they have moved and she has "a look" of guilt. So having never grown spuds before how can I tell which is which?

Do earlies flower earlier than maincrop? and how will I know when they are ready if I don't know what variety I have?

any help would be greatly received

[Nicos]

Oh the fun of kids!!!!
Yes earlies do flower earlier-
Also different varieties have slightly different coloured flowers, so you should at least be able to tell one variety from another!
Pink fir apple is a different shape as you know, so fiddling around in the soil when they are flowering should give you an idea.

[Hazel at the Hill]

The potato council website is pretty good, Serenity - there's a section on all the different varieties, and besides all the technical stuff of 'parentage', there's pictures of the foliage and (I think) the flowers.

[GeordieVik]

Hazel,

whereabouts are the pics to identify spuds? My labels got mixed up so I would find it useful too, but the website's a bit complicated! (Or am i just being blonde-ish)

Thanks!

Vik

[Alice]

What a shame Serenity, but that's kids. Don't worry, when you see the foliage dying down you will know your potatoes are ready. You can also have a poke about in through the compost and see what you find. Or even tip them out gently and have a look, and even pick the best ones, and slide them back in for the rest to grow on. I'm sure you will recognise your different varieties when you see the spuds - even if you can't recognise them by their leaves.
I've got Swift, Charlotte and Rooster. I'll have a good look tomorrow and if I can see any difference in the leaves I'll take pics and post them for you.

[serenity]

thank you alice

[Snadger]

You will soon know which are the Pink Fir Apple without poking in the tub as the foliage grows about 5 foot tall!

[Hazel at the Hill]

Here you go - you just put the variety in, and it comes up with a heap of info

http://www.potato.org.uk/department/...ase/index.html

BTW - it IS a complicated web site, isn't it, GV!

[serenity]

just looked up swift (thank you hazel ) and it states that swift flowers are rare I thought that I harvested the earlies WHEN they flowered?

[shirlthegirl43]

As I am sure you will be just as impatient to try your first spuds as I was last year, I would suggest you harvest the first 'boiling' when you can feel some spuds of a reasonable size in the compost. I read somewhere that groping around to see if there are spuds ready to harvest is called 'broggling'. So when they have been in for about 12 weeks, have a broggle and see what you find. As I only plant one seed spud per bucket I usually get enough from one bucket for a meal for 4, but if you have planted more in each bucket, do as Alice suggests and just broggle around till you find as many as you want and leave the rest to carry on growing.

Then get the butter out and enjoy!

[serenity]

now that is a fab word can't wait for my very first broggle

[shirlthegirl43]

LOL, I thought it was a brilliant word too and whether it is correct or not I will broggle for my new spuds for ever more!

Would recommend the wearing of a rubber glove if you have long fingernails though - getting the compost out is a nightmare!

[Nicos]

To broggle....
http://dict.die.net/brog/

Wonderful word!!!!

I'm going to see haw many times I can use that today!!!!
( I may even have a little broggle myself- just for the fun of it!!!! )

I wonder if LJ's pea stick is pointy enough to broggle with???