[Aitch]

Afternoon all, I'm growing potato in planter bags ready for Christmas. The plants are starting to die off, can someone explain the difference in appearance between dying back and frost please as I want to make sure that I'm doing the right thing
Thanx Ian

[mumofstig]

dying back tends to be a gradual yellowing and no other way to describe it but dying back

Frost turns the foliage black overnight! If it's the frost damage you may still have a crop safely below ground, it just depends how much growth they managed to make.

[Yorkie]

In addition to the above, I would still protect the bags if a proper frost is forecast as if the temperature drops too low, the tubers in the soil can freeze

[Aitch]

Cheers for the reply, to b honest it sounds like a bit of both. Some have gone a yellowy colour and some have gone a little black. They are under a poly cover ( a tomato tent ) should I cover them in fleece aswell and hope for the best? Or should i cut them donw and dig them out ?The plants were quite high and had grown well.
Thanx again Ian

[Yorkie]

Whatever spuds exist are unlikely to put on much more growth now.  You can start lifting them to eat; I'd use fleece rather than polythene personally to protect them ongoing, as the latter will encourage humidity and fungal conditions.  Can you move the bags under cover?

[Aitch]

Thanx for the reply, I could prob move them into the shed with a bit of moving things around, and put fleece over them. So if I do Christmas ones again next year should I get those fleece bags to put over them instead of the poly tent ?
Thanx again Ian

[Aitch]

Ooo sorry forgot a bit  :blink: should I try to cut away the frost damaged plants
Thanx again

[Yorkie]

Yes, cut away any blackened and rotting frosted stems.  Might as well leave the yellowing ones on until they look as though there's no more life in them.

Fleece will not completely protect the plants.  If you read back on posts both from this year and previously, very few forum members have successfully managed spuds for Christmas.

The general weather forecast for the end of the week to come looks chilly.  Get them under cover by then.

[Aitch]

Thanx again, I'll get them in the shed on Sunday
Ian