Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Sideways on August 05, 2009, 16:45
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I planted a main crop, maris piper I believe, roughly x70 plants in total.
We have been eating them for a number of weeks now and roughly get through 2~3 plants a week, plus I give some to friends & family. There're delicious btw.
The thing is, there are still around x50 plants on the plot, that’s allot of spuds yet to eat, almost four months worth at the rate we are getting through them.
Options?
Give some away- Yes, I will continue to do this, and more.
Store them- This is my first year and I need to learn how to do this properly.
Question- Realistically, how long will the spuds survive in the ground?
The top growth is already starting to look a bit tired, will the spuds be safe under the soil for another few months?
Thanks.
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Two schools of thought here, yes and no! I personally would dig them up, as I have today, because my thinking is that the longer they are in the ground, the more susceptible they are to attack from slugs, snails, wireworm, millipede etc etc. Though no doubt some will tell you that they will be fine in the ground.
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Please keep them in the ground.
Signed,
Mr. Slug :lol:
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Please keep them in the ground.
Signed,
Mr. Slug :lol:
Hoooh yes, once the carrots are out they've nothing left to eat! Poor things :mad: :lol:
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OK, lets imagine there are no slugs.
Will the spuds be happy in the ground for the next few months?
What other dangers are there? Do they rot easily?
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Theres still millipede and other insects that have the potential to do damage. As for rotting, that is always a possibility, if they are too wet, or become damaged. It sounds like you want to keep them in the ground, if so, you go for it, digging them up as you need them, if you find over the course of time that they are showing signs of damage, that maybe the time to get the rest of them out of the ground. Its down to personal choice.
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Theres still millipede and other insects that have the potential to do damage. As for rotting, that is always a possibility, if they are too wet, or become damaged. It sounds like you want to keep them in the ground, if so, you go for it, digging them up as you need them, if you find over the course of time that they are showing signs of damage, that maybe the time to get the rest of them out of the ground. Its down to personal choice.
Agreed, thats my plan, thanks.
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Potatoes are fine in the ground until the threat of hard frosts, maybe mid October.
The two big threats are slugs and blight.
As you dig supplies each week you should take note of slug damage. If there is damage occuring you will need to lift and store. Some varieties are more suseptable to slug damage than others.
Any time now I would expect blight to infect the tops and then the stems and hence infect the tubers which will then rot. If the tops are starting to yellow and have done their job they are best cut off at ground level and removed.
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Salmo, I had to lift all my Maris Piper yesterday because of blight! The Arran Victory dont look too bad at the mo, but I will watch on a daily basis.
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I have left Charlotte in the ground over winter once, they weren't too slug eaten and tasted fine.