what happened to my potatoes :(

[carly]

Hi
I palnted my potatoes inside in grow bags in march and they grew very tall and was doing very well. i earthed them up regular as suggested for growing potatoes in bags. i moved them outside approx 2 weeks ago (after the frost) and within 2 days one of them was beginning to look sickly-mainly limp, and drooping. this was also happening a few leaves on the others but they have pulled through and are doing good. well they are early potatoes and I know they are not meant to be harvested until june/july but i thought i would harvest the bag that was all limp and droopy as i was worried what condition the potatoes might be. also important to mention that when i did the grow bags i used compost and topsoil that i brought from a garden centre............. well i harvested this 'sickly' looking bag today and there were no potatoes anywhere in there and the 3 seed ones i origanally put in were all balck and mushy ..............what has happened? also there were some flies colourful ones where the hell did they come from? what should i do with the other bags as they look healthy pretty much? this is the first time i did potatoes this way and would really appreciate any thoughts
thank you

[zazen999]

You have harvested them far too early and the original seed potato always goes black and mushy.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Like the lady ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^said far to early. The tubers mainly grow in the last 4 weeks of the cycle.

Potty

[carly]

but what does the wilting /limp green folige indicate............... i thought there was something wrong which is why i harvested.... so it is possible for there to be no potatoes in the bag at all?

[veggiechicken]

I wonder whether they have too much water and not enough drainage also. Have you had a lot of rain?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Did you check for other signs for instance blackening of the stems of the haulms?

Potty

[carly]

yes we had a fair bit of rain over last few days
how often do they need watering

[carly]

um............ yes i was checking the stems............ the wilted one the stem looked kinda transparent if that makes sense? it was not black............maybe a little brown tinge and transparent

[veggiechicken]

Is the soil in the bag very soggy?

[Potstubsdustbins]

VC makes a good point if your drainage is not 100% in this weather this could cause rot.

Another candidate is 'blackleg' which occurs early in the season and in wet weather.

If your other plants arn't effected I wouldn't worry to much.

Potty

[carly]

the soil was pretty moist yes. how often should i think about watering them if i am growing them in a bag then?

[Potstubsdustbins]

The important thing with growing in containers is drainage, if they are purpose bought bags then this should be taken care off. However if the drainage becomes blocked or there is not enough drainage the compost will become saturated and the seeds and roots will rot and the plants die.

With first earlies I like to keep my compost moist for the first 8 weeks and then up the watering regime as the tubers start to form.

Potty

[redser]

I over-watered last year and lost lots to the same thing you are describing. I learned a lot from it. You simply can't say how often one should water, it's not a fixed formula. You could get a few hot dry days which would mean watering is needed, or wet days meaning watering is definitely not needed. I find the best way is to lift the pot/bag and see if it feels light ie dry. Stick your fingers in too a good bit. After a while you just get the feel for it. So far so good for me this year. You'll get the hang of it too.

[veggiechicken]

I've been using some of those potato bags this year for the first time - but in the greenhouse. I'm not convinced that there is enough drainage because, unlike pots, they "slump" over the holes. You can't put them up on pot feet for the water to run away, and outdoors, you have no control over the amount of rain they receive. I'm not convinced about them to be honest

[Stan79]

What I've done with mine is put two or three bricks in the bottom of a large plastic box, sit the bag on top of the bricks and keep an eye on the water level in the bottom of the bag. Any excess runs out the bottom of the bag and into the box the plastic box is snug enough that it supports the sides of the bag.

They're growing like triffids!

Oh, and I covered them last week when we had a frost at 0400hrs!

I like the idea of tatties outside the back door and can't wait to harvest them!