What's going on with my (Earlies) spuds?

[GardenFaery]

What's going on with my (Earlies) spuds? They're King Edwards, dunno if that makes a difference?

Is it just STILL too early? Tried digging up today and only found TWO medium size spuds?! from two plants?

[veggiechicken]

King Edward is a Main Crop potato King Edward - Potato Council

[Matt94]

yep as VC say king edward are maincrop - if your ever in doubt of when your pots are ready - just leave them until the foliage has flowered/ gone yellow!

[GardenFaery]

B****r! Maybe they aren't King Edwards then? Or maybe they are and I was just distracted when I bought them? I definately bought them as an 'earlies' crop BUT maybe I LOOKED at the Earlies varieties in the Garden Centre and then bought a main crop, cos I thought " Oh I know I like King Edwards! LOL How Funny! I shall just have to wait a little longer then LOL

[veggiechicken]

Did the pots you dug up look like these? King Edward Seed Potatoes
If so they'll be ready about September, - sorry!

[GardenFaery]

yes Veggie Chicken LOL!... I just found this too from my garden diary:

"Saturday 31st March

After filling in potato trenches with compost (glad I found some brown, well rotted crumbly compost further down the bin, as some hasn’t rotted as quickly, as I’d liked - must get more accelerator) Planted King Edwards in a T-shape behind roses with a box drill of red onions around the roses for companion
planting.."

So I actually KNEW they were King Edwards and main crop, but recently my impatience for some kind of harvest has created this selective memory in the vain hope that I had indeed planted EARLIES and could dig em up soon LOL - I never cease to amaze myself LOL

[Pa Snips]

Looking on the bright side, at least you now know why you got nothing from them.

My Kestrel spuds went in at the beginning of March and the packaging says "Sow in March, harvest in June", so I assumed that they would be ready about now...how wrong was I? I got five spuds that were smaller than the four seed spuds I put in...grrr!

Ah well, you live and you learn, and I learned not to pay attention to what is written on the packaging. My guess is that all the energy went into producing foliage and they should have been left at least another couple of months. It's such a shame because they were about 3'6" tall, now they're in the compost bin.

[Two_Sheds]

the packaging says "Sow in March, harvest in June"

that's in optimum conditions though, and this year has been the very opposite (too hot & dry, then too cold & wet)

My spuds have only just started to show

[veggiechicken]

And it is only the 2nd day of June! Talk about impatient

[Pa Snips]

I don't wish to sound awkward, Two Sheds, but I would say the conditions up here have actually been quite good, given that they were easily 3'6" tall and very bushy, plus, we haven't had much of the 'cold and wet' that most people have talked about. Rain has been minimal and I haven't seen any frost since February.

Perhaps if I hadn't kept on earthing them up, they would have put more energy into producing spuds instead of foliage. I could be wrong, obviously, but that seems to be the most logical deduction to me.

Anyhow, not to worry, next time they will stay put until they flower or the foliage turns yellow.

[Two_Sheds]

conditions up here have actually been quite good ... we haven't had much of the 'cold and wet' that most people have

Ah, lucky old you then

Rain has been minimal

Aha, I would've said. But I guess you've been watering them well instead? And feeding?


I've never, ever had spuds as quickly as the packaging would suggest. Even my 'Rocket' are more like a 'Leisure Cruise' ... none of them are ever in any hurry to make it to my dinner plate

[Pa Snips]

And it is only the 2nd day of June! Talk about impatient

Yes indeed, no doubt I was impatient, but to be fair they were put in at the beginning of March. Had it been the end of March I would have left them in until the end of June.

Two Sheds...I watered them daily and gave them a feed a couple of times per week. It's really not a big deal though, this year is all about the learning for me and any food I get from it all is a bonus.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Pa Kestral are a second early will therefore need at least 16/18 weeks. There are usually ready for lifting mid July. If you have any left in the ground give them a high potash feed and be patient.

Colin