Potatoes

How are your potatoes coming along this year and did you get caught by late frosts?

I had a good tip this year, I started my potatoes of in 5" pots in the greenhouse. I kept them growing until I thought the frosts were gone. Unfortunately we had a very late frost and my potatoes got nipped. They have however, recovered nicely and are the best potatoes I have ever grown.

Another tip is to pinch out the flowers when they come so all the goodness is concentrated into the fruit (tubers) rather than wasted on the flowers

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Permalink Reply by Flighty on June 2, 2012 at 21:14

I presume that you meant to write tubers rather than fruit which grow from the flowers and are, of course, poisonous!

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Permalink Reply by Darren Blick on June 2, 2012 at 21:17

Thanks you flighty, yes you got it

I'm only a simple gardener

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Permalink Reply by Colin Robinson on June 2, 2012 at 21:19

Might try growing some in small pots in the greenhouse next year, Darren. Is there any special planting technique or do you just dig a hole and bung em in?

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Permalink Reply by Debbie on June 2, 2012 at 22:24

I didn't know that about nipping out the flowers and don't really know whether it will make much difference to mine but here goes......

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Permalink Reply by Darren Blick on June 2, 2012 at 22:41

I grow in polypots in peat with a handful of Osmocote

The starting off in 5" pots can be done for any method

The potato looks like a spider with tentacle roots sprouting out

I just lifted out of the 5" pot and planting on

Colin Robinson said:

Might try growing some in small pots in the greenhouse next year, Darren. Is there any special planting technique or do you just dig a hole and bung em in?

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Permalink Reply by Darren Blick on June 2, 2012 at 22:43

I don't think many people realise but think of it logically, the more things the energy and goodness is going into, the less each is getting

You pinch out the side shoots on tomatoes, well I do the same on runner beans, so that I get better quality and larger beans

Debbie said:

I didn't know that about nipping out the flowers and don't really know whether it will make much difference to mine but here goes......

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Permalink Reply by Deborah Davies on June 4, 2012 at 17:16

flowers are just coming on my potatoes, so I read this at the right time, last year I left the flower and I still got a good yield, but I will try picking off the flower and see if there is an improvement.

Just one question - my hubby broke some of the potato stalks by leaning a board on them (idiot...), will it hamper the crop???