Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Lulu on June 22, 2011, 23:23
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My early potatoes are not growing properly - some have gone yellow, and some of them seem to have stopped growing and remain small and flowerless. I've planted Lady Christl and Charlottes in the same bed, which is next to my raspberries. The only thing I can think of is they are in the bed I had tomatoes last year which did succumb to blight last year but it doesn't look like blight. Most of them look perfect - just small and no flowers and yet some of them look normal in size, still no flowers. I have fed them in the last month with chicken poo as I normally do. My question is any suggestions with what to do with them?? Do I dig up the yellow ones and leave the normal looking ones?? I won't be able to get a photo - gotta to go to work. Its a shame cos my main crop are romping away.
Any advice appreciated :)
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Is it possible that the earlies needed more water? I'm not so sure about this... if the main crop are OK. :unsure: :blink:
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I would dig up one of the yellow ones and see what is going on. I had a similar problem with a couple of my Lady C's and it turned out to be blackleg. I destroyed them and the rest of the crop are doing well.
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when did you plant them?
It may just be that they have finished growing and are ready to dig. The plants at the end of the row of earlies that I'm still digging, are doing the same thing.
They won't all flower either, if this is what you have been waiting for
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I'd guess that it's lack of water as they're next to the raspberries which will suck a lot of water out of the ground. Were the mains planted away from the raspberries?
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I have the same thing - planted pentland javelin, charlotte and kestrel all at the same time. The PJ are hardly a foot tall and a couple of them are yellowing, next biggest is charlotte and then kestrel, which are fairly normal size.
I think the long dry spell is to blame for the odd variance in size. Won't know the results until I dig 'em, which will start soon I guess.
The thing is, PJ are supposed to be a first early (and a particularly early one at that) but the stuff showing above ground seems so insignificant. Are they supposed to be compact plants (I haven't grown them before)?
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I have the same thing - planted pentland javelin, charlotte and kestrel all at the same time. The PJ are hardly a foot tall and a couple of them are yellowing, next biggest is charlotte and then kestrel, which are fairly normal size.
I think the long dry spell is to blame for the odd variance in size. Won't know the results until I dig 'em, which will start soon I guess.
The thing is, PJ are supposed to be a first early (and a particularly early one at that) but the stuff showing above ground seems so insignificant. Are they supposed to be compact plants (I haven't grown them before)?
PJs never get very big and this year are smaller than last, with a lower yield to match :(
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OK Thanks.
I plan to lift one tomorrow. I'll let you know how I get on.
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OK Thanks.
I plan to lift one tomorrow. I'll let you know how I get on.
Be an optimist... buy some butter before you go to the lot! ;)
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Be an optimist... buy some butter before you go to the lot! ;)
Choice!
Ummm i wouldn't plant potatoes on the same place after tomatoes. How about soil on the spot? Sandy enough? Drainage? Also yellow might mean they are short on some minerals
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My swift are all very very short and very very yellow --- kestrels next to them are romping away :ohmy: :ohmy:
I am going to get some of the swifts out to look at them. i am hoping appearances are deceptive and there is abumper crop down there :lol:
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Hi - I feel I must apologise for the lack of response - been at work! I planted my lady Christl in March and the Charlottes a couple of weeks later. They suffered one bout of frost only and appeared to recover well. My soil is clay. I do think the yellow ones are in the Tomato bed of last year - so I need to learn from that!!!. Tomatoes are not being planted on the plot again - they were too much work and the blight was horrible. I'm going to pop onto the lottie tomorrow and dig up the yellow ones - might just have a little furtle with a healthy one just to see what is going on with them.
In response to Nobbie - my raspberries are nearer to the earlies than the main crop by a foot.
Any way thanks for your responses. :)
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Lulu, is there any chance to add some sand to your soil? You will be surprized, how better will be your crops.
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Just dug up one of my Pentland Javelin - one that was going yellow. Pretty small crop - small spuds and just enough for two people, but in good condition.
Not too worried 'cos I have more and different varieties too but the dry spell was to blame I think.
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Much as I'm not willing anyone else to join the club I'm always surprised that I seem to be the only member on here who regularly mentions potato eelworm (aka potato cyst nematode.)
Poor foliage growth which yellows and dies off early, and a poor crop of small potatoes are one clue, but the decider is the tiny white or yellow round cysts dotted all over the fibrous roots (not usually the spuds themselves but sometimes there as well.)
That's why I grew an eelworm-resistant variety this year (Pentland Javelin) which although producing a decent crop have clearly struggled to shake off the attack of this particular nasty.
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And do they taste good JayG? Distinctly underwhelmed with the first try of our Sharpe's Express yesterday. :( Got the LC to look forward to though. :)
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And do they taste good JayG? Distinctly underwhelmed with the first try of our Sharpe's Express yesterday. :( Got the LC to look forward to though. :)
Don't think they are quite up there with LC but still pretty good (100% clean and undamaged - the one good thing about my sand-pit is I never get slug damage on spuds!) :)
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I have pretty much decided, we're going to try PJs next year. :)
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Dug up some swifts and they are Ok I suppose. Nothing to write home about.
Looked over at my neighbours plot and a whole row of spuds has collapsed with what looks horribly like black leg, as far as a can tell from craning my neck.
I know they will be down on Tuesday so am going to go and ask for a better look, 'cos if it is I'd quite like them out --- out of reach of my plot :tongue2:
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Thought I would update the thread. I dug up the yellowing spuds (Charlottes) and got some lovely salad potatoes that cook up really well. So all was well. No sign of any disease on the potatoes themselves.
Thank you for your advice. :)
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Perhaps they were showing you that they were ready to be dug! ;)
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I have pretty much decided, we're going to try PJs next year. :)
Good choice from 'Growster Turrets' Argyllie!
I just can't imagine that someone from as far north as you has to worry about new spuds; you've all got it made for these beauties haven't you...?
If I started to grow anything other than PJ, Mrs Growster would beat me into the ground like a tent peg...;0)
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We always have International Kidney for our first earlies, crop was pretty good, but when steamed the skins split straightaway, taste was OK but the texture was not right, I blame it on the dry spell we had? :unsure:
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Quite a few of us have had that problem with earlies over the last couple of years. Some people suggest it's partly due to eating it too soon out of the ground. I suspect the weather has played a role too.