[TheSpartacat]

Is there any way of telling whether a growing potato is a First Early, Second Early or Maincrop?
Was chatting to an inexperienced allotmenteer yesterday who sowed a selection of bargain bucket potato seeds in June, and didn't bother labelling or checking what kind they were...
... He's now wondering how he'll know when they're ready.
lol
I don't think he realised that they mature at different rates!   

To my eyes, they are a mix of different varieties- the only ones flowering at the moment have large white flowers with yellow stamens. Don't recognise them. :blink:

I was advising him to leave them growing and hopefully the first earlies will start keeling over to announce they're ready for pulling, but he has got a few brown tips on some leaves (yikes)  and now we're wondering if they are ill or if its just a natural die-back. (though it seems a bit quick for them to be at a harvestable stage) 

[diggerjoe]

At the potato day at Ryton Organic in Jan I bought five seed spud from a seller ( as if I hadnt already got enough!) He said they were un-named and they were called DRN main crop and good keepers. I planted them in an area at the bottom of the plot. The haulms have died off and I though well I might as well dig them up and store them although its a bit early and I must have got it wrong and they were second earlies - I dug up some great spuds and they were all red!!! I am certain that the seed spuds were not red - so where on earth did I plant the d**mn things I label every year yet I get surprised I'll have to wait till next Jan to ask the seller if he's back there

[Debz]

I neglected to label one of my pots and can't find the labels that I know I put in the others.  A couple of my pots are starting to keel over so I reckon they must be the earlies as the ones that I thought were my maincrop are still luch and green.

[TheSpartacat]

Diggerjoe- that is hilarious! It sounds like the makings of a childrens story, DiggerJoe and the Magic Chameleon Potatoes.... 

Debz, i wish all earlies/ seconds followed that pattern... my Home Guards that i planted at home keeled over and died so it was obvious that they were waiting to be eaten (and lovely they were too)... but on my plot- my second earlies flowered first, and now have those little tomato-like fruits where the blooms used to be... but the first earlies are only getting around to blooming now....
The haulms of the second earlies came up quicker too
I'm watching em like a hawk! My Home Guard new spuds has dried up and I'm hungry for more!!!! I'm half tempted to have a poke around under the second earlies to see if they have any little goodies for me yet...

They all went in to the ground the third week of May (didnt get my plot until May) so might be jumping the spud-gun a bit... 

[diggerjoe]

Next time TheSpartacat I shall see if he has any of those beans I once read about mind you Not sure if have canes that big