Sickly spuds

[ghostbreeder]

My potatoes seem to be keeling over and dying. I've turfed up a couple of the totally dead ones and had a handful of good small spuds from each. The ones on my neighbours patch are just coming into flower and look fine and they can't be more than 10 yards away. I lost all of my tomato crop last year to blight (as did everyone else in the neighbourhood), but I'm not sure that this is the same. My outside toms still look reasonably healthy. Any suggestions please?

[flowertot]

With you saying you've had a good handful of potatoes from each is it at all possible that the foliage is just dying off because the potatoes are ready? I've found that some varieties of potato don't really do that much in the way of flowering and the foliage just wilts and dies away when they are ready. It could be that your neighbour is just growing a different variety? Sure someone who knows a bit more about potatoes will come along and advise you better shortly - but that was just my first thoughts.

[veggiechicken]

Hi ghostbreeder and welcome to the Forum!
What type of potato are they? As Flowertot says ^^^ different varieties mature at different times. If they are earlies, they may well be ready for harvesting. When did you plant them?
One more thing, could you put your location on your profile please - otherwise we'll keep asking you where you live as local conditions can be important with some crops.

[Tripmeup]

the other thing to remember is that (in most places anyways) it has been very wet and windy for this time of year......perhaps the wind has snappped some of your stalks...?

[chefgage]

As what's been said, I have had varieties in the past that never flower. Just grow then die. Then its time to dig them up

[ghostbreeder]

Thanks everybody. Location duly updated. They're Maris Bard so although the little chaps I've ousted have been fine as salad potatoes, I was expecting something rather larger then my conker sized crop. My little black book of planting times suggests they went in mid April (although little black book does occasionally get fictitious update when I've forgotten to write in it at the correct time)

[veggiechicken]

I'm no potato expert but Maris Bard is a first early The British Potato Variety Database
Hopefully someone will come along who can tell you whether 8 weeks is long enough growing time to expect a larger crop?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Maris Bard first early, in a good year about 10 to 12 weeks this year I would suggest longer if the plant is still growing.

However I have to say the yield from my Swift is well down this year. I have put it down to the warm weather earlier on.

Main crop which went in later is going great guns with all this rain. Very large sturdy haulms which bode well for a bumper crop.

Colin

[Vince G]

I'm no potato expert but Maris Bard is a first early The British Potato Variety Database
Hopefully someone will come along who can tell you whether 8 weeks is long enough growing time to expect a larger crop?

8 weeks is a couple of weeks too soon VC in my opinion. There are some that will bulk up that quickly, such as Rocket and Swift, but most take a little longer.

I also find it extremely hard to judge when to dig up first earlies. I know most varieties have an optimum number of weeks, but sometimes you look at them at that time and think...nah they're never ready.

Dug up an Arran Pilot yesterday - 3 spuds a little bigger than a hen's egg. Dug the next one in the row as didn't think Mrs Vince would be too impressed if I came home with a paltry 3 spuds for dinner - must have been 20 or more on that one, a little smaller than a hen's egg, plus the usual handfull of tiddlers. They went in 3rd week of March when we had that warmish spell. Old 3-spud was on the end of the row; don't know if that's significant, but for 2 indentical-looking plants to have such differing yields is weird isn't it? Dug down quite a way too to see if I'd maybe planted them a bit deep.....thought they might be hiding.....felt like doing a Delia "where are you, come on let's be having you..."

[donnakebab]

Doesn't the foliage go yellow when dying off rather than keeling over? I think it's a bit early in the season for blight and you would see it on the haulms.

I have a first early and a main crop planted. Both are in flower. A couple of the first early variety have keeled over but I've put that down to foxes furtling after I've earthed up. They have been in for 10 weeks now but I haven't had a look yet.

My neighbour has had some losses in his crop where the haulms look as if they are being eaten by something. He's wondering though if it's because he didn't rotate, as in he planted his potatoes in the same place as last year.

[Paulottie]

Potato cyst nematode - WikiGardener - The gardening site that anyone can edit

Could this be your problem?

[ghostbreeder]

Thanks everybody. They've all died now so I shall dig up the remains and burn them just to be on the safe side. Not sure what caused the problem, didn't look anything like the link so perhaps I'll put it down to climate warming or fox wee or lack of green fingers or something like that.

[VirginVegGrower]

I've had a blue potato go the same way. Taken ages. Dead foliage. Not blight. No potatoes to speak of. Odd behaviour.