Will my potatoes store...? Or not...?!

[SarzWix]

Hi everyone, not sure if anyone will be able to answer this, or if it'll have to be 'trial and error'...
I am growing a new-ish variety of potato called Harlequin from Thompson&Morgan. It's classed as an Early-Maincrop, and it's a cross between Pink Fir Apple and Charlotte. This is what the T&M description says;

Description:

Charlotte × Pink Fir Apple cross so has to be delectable eating quality. You will not be disappointed. Long finger-shaped, part reddish skin with pale yellow flesh. Unanimously won our 'blind' taste tests, both hold and cold, at our 2004 Press Day. Good common scab resistance.

It doesn't mention storing, or not... I've got 3 pretty big tubs of them, so I'm hoping that they will store for a little while at least
Also, not sure if I can start eating them yet - they have flowered but the foliage hasn't started going over yet, and they aren't due to be 'ready' for a few weeks... I had a poke around this morning, and there's definately some decent sized tubers in there already.
Any ideas anyone?

[PAULW]

SARAH
Harlequin will store I grew them last year, remember to leave them out in the sun? for a couple of days to dry and harden the skin up before you put the in to store.

[SarzWix]

Cheers Paul, altho I did note the question mark after 'sun'...!! Will prob have to dry em in greenhouse same as me onions!
D'you know if I can eat them before they're technically 'ready'?

[Hazel at the Hill]

I would - it's not as if they have to 'ripen' or anything .... if they are the right size for you, that's it!

And I would have thought that you could just leave them in the tubs till you wanted them? No reason to dig them up to see if they store then!

[PAULW]

SARAH
My eye was working faster than my brain missed out that they where in tubs, ideal way of storing bring the tubs inside and let the compost dry out then you can have a lucky dip bran tub of potatoes, I grew some heritage type potatoes from plugs last year to store them I put them in pots in dry compost then put the pots in a coolish place, the tuber were perfect when I removed them from the pots to plant this year

[Hazel at the Hill]

Would you wait for the haulms to die back first before bringing them in, Paul?

[Cutecumber]

Once you remove the foliage and stems (a good pull will do it from a container) then the potatoes are not going to grow any more - so, if the tubers are at the right size for you, remove that foliage and keep the container dry. If you have maincrops and want to wait for the foliage to die down, then do so.

[PAULW]

I agree with CC

[Cutecumber]

Good man. That's what I like to hear

[SarzWix]

Thanks everyone
Tatties for tea then

[Peter]

If you leave them out in the sun for DAYS they will start to go green, surely you meant HOURS.

Commercially they are dug out the field by machine, into the trailer, down the track and into the barn.

[PAULW]

PETER
No a couple of days will not affect them that much, you need to harden the skin unless you have the luxury of a large cold store like the comercial potato farms have.

[Nicos]

PETER
No a couple of days will not affect them that much, you need to harden the skin unless you have the luxury of a large cold store like the comercial potato farms have.

No wonder mine don't store well then!!

Learn something new everyday on the Vine!!

[Two_Sheds]

If you leave them out in the sun for DAYS they will start to go green, surely you meant HOURS.

I'd go for hours. Last year I left mine out for three days and they went green and were all ruined

[Peter]

PETER
No a couple of days will not affect them that much, you need to harden the skin unless you have the luxury of a large cold store like the comercial potato farms have.

My local very commercial potato farm does not have a cold store, he has large barns, which do have some forced air ventiation. The crop is no longer sorted before going in the barn, it is sorted in the barn as it is packed for collection by the supermarket lorries.

I have never before heard of anyone leaving potatoes out of the soil for the time you recommend Paul, hence my surprise. They will go green in good weather very quickly. Squash have to cure for days, potatoes just need to dry out a bit.

My late father, who would be in his late nineties if he was still around, used to dig spuds on a sunny day and place them on previously dug dry soil, when he was finished he would have a fag, then put the spuds in a thick hessian sack in the wheelbarrow, starting with the ones he dug first and sorting as he went.