When should I dig up potatoes?

[moggssue]

You're all making me envious - I have two months to wait yet and my mouth is watering already!! Hope you're all enjoying your furtling and eating!

[Grovsey]

I planted aran pilot late march and have beeb eating them for 2 weeks now...well past "new potatoe" size....

[johnty greentoes]

spuds are go

Dear all

The Arran Pipers I've been fretting over are definitely ready and beautiful.

Went for my first furtle tonight and got a dinner plate-full. See avatar and blog.

Thanks for the advice.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Went for my first furtle tonight and got a dinner plate-full.

You must do whacking big plates over your way! They look fab - well done!

[Bex]

Thats great Johnty, I'm jealous, I have to dig up at least two plants to get enough for a meal for the 3 of us.

I dug up one plant tonight and there wasn't a single spud. I'm going to leave them a week now and see what happens.

[beetrootbabe]

Container spuds

My container spuds have grown quite tall, is this normal, should I cut them down or what. Some have started to flower. I don't know what type they are - I buried the labels by mistake. Hey, I'm new to this game:

[Two_Sheds]

I've dug up a carrier bag full of "weed" taters already - Charlotte, Desiree and kestrel methinks, what I threw on the old compost heap last year... no watering, no earthing up, nada. No flowers on any of them, just ruddy great big plants, and bootiful spuds, just perfect.
BTW, this year's taters that I put in aren't anywhere near ready.
The moral of the story is...

[rustylady]

It's really scary digging up a whole potato plant, not knowing whether it's ready or not. Once you've dug it up that's it - no going back. Have a furtle before you actually dig. If you don't find anything worthwhile you can leave the plant to grow for a few weeks. I'm going to have a furtle tomorrow!!

[Flummery]

Hi beetrootbabe, welcome to the grapevine! The foliage in container spuds is always huge - must be the compost rather than the tougher conditions in the soil. Have a rummage underneath and if you can feel decent spuds, it's worth harvesting.

Hapy growing!