Lovely potato plants but no potatos

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rsbystry

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Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« on: July 13, 2009, 19:23 »
I have a strange problem with my spuds. They look wonderful, and have been growing for 2 months now, they are in flower and have been earthed up a couple of times. I went to dig my first (and tastiest :tongue2:) harvest of the summer a couple of weeks ago and found not a single tuber had formed on 2 plants. Perhaps I was too early..... so I waited a week and dug another 2 plants.... still no potatos. Tonight I dug 2 more plants and a wild sown from last years crop and Aaarrgghh!!!!! still no spuds. What has happened to them? I have grown successfully for a few years now but this year is justa complete failure.  Does anyone have ANY ideas?...... :wacko:

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beansticks

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2009, 19:32 »
What variety are they?if they are maincrops 2 months is not enough time ,even 1st earlies require 10-12 weeks. If they are maincrops 16-20 weeks are needed.

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mumofstig

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2009, 19:34 »
i think you are expecting potatoes too soon :)
They take about 12 weeks (some of the extra earlies take about 10 weeks, but you don't get many with them!
I planted mine mid march and started to lift them in mid June.
So i think you just need to leave yours for a few more weeks. Make sure you water well if it stays dry :)

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rsbystry

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2009, 19:46 »
i think you are expecting potatoes too soon :)
They take about 12 weeks (some of the extra earlies take about 10 weeks, but you don't get many with them!
I planted mine mid march and started to lift them in mid June.
So i think you just need to leave yours for a few more weeks. Make sure you water well if it stays dry :)
Thank you for your response. I have had potatos this quickly before but this is my first time growing pink fir apples. I might have expected to see at least tiny baby ickle tubers.  I shall wait a month and keep watering them. I do like my potatos.. ::)

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beansticks

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2009, 19:47 »
Pink fir are a main crop,if im not mistaken
« Last Edit: July 13, 2009, 19:49 by beansticks »

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DD.

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2009, 19:51 »
Pink Fir do put out a lot of foliage and as stated they are a main crop. Not only that, but I've found them to be one of the slower growing main crops.

They won't really be mature until the foliage starts to die back.
Did it really tell you to do THAT on the packet?

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DavidT

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2009, 19:59 »
And of course you let them put all their energy into flowering. Rather than producing tubers. :D

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rsbystry

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2009, 20:02 »
Pink Fir do put out a lot of foliage and as stated they are a main crop. Not only that, but I've found them to be one of the slower growing main crops.

They won't really be mature until the foliage starts to die back.
Thank you DD. I thought (hoped) they were a variety of early so I could enjoy them in summer potato salads. Autumn salads will be nice..... :D

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azubah

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2009, 20:43 »
Pink fir apple spuds are not very big at best.

I dug up a couple of potato plants rather early and found not many tubers so I picked off what there were and replanted the plants. I got a lot more tubers a few weeks later. It would not have been successful in a dry year but this year it worked.

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wighty

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2009, 20:48 »
We dug up a 'maincrop' yesterday to see what was happening, been in since March and decided we have two for jacket spuds, five for roast and eleven for potato salad type size.  Well pleased.  We have another 24 plants to do.

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GrannieAnnie

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2009, 22:38 »
I didn't dig up my pink fir apples last year until September, and yes they are small, but they are a yellow waxy potato with that salad potato taste, so worth waiting for.  Brian didn't like them because they were waxy, but it was lovely having 'new' potatoes in Autumn!!!

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Iain@JBA

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2009, 22:50 »
Pink Fir Apple will take around 20 weeks to mature normally.
Visit my website and view my potato blog and videos.

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Sue32

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #12 on: July 14, 2009, 00:18 »
And of course you let them put all their energy into flowering. Rather than producing tubers. :D
Does that mean I should take the flowers off?  My Pink Firs are flowering prettily right now!
trying to be green except when blue

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DD.

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Re: Lovely potato plants but no potatos
« Reply #13 on: July 14, 2009, 05:38 »
I don't bother, the amount of energy going into the flowers is proportionally very small.

If it was worth doing - the commerical growers would be doing it.



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