Potato Haulms

[Colin Miles]

Here's another one for all you experts. Some potatoes are very vigorous and their haulms spread all over the place, others, like Swift, are very short. This, to me, is a factor in row spacing (and probably disease controll) so, as most of the potatoes I am growing this year are new to me, can anyone tell me how the following grow?

Adora
Winston
Kestrel
Nadine
Armour
Harmony
Maxine.

[peat]

I don't know if this works as I have never tried it. Some advice given in the USA is to trim potato haulms to 8" as they say that this is enough to grow and excess will slow the production of tubers.
Pete

[Colin Miles]

An interesting suggestion Peat! And with some varieties like Swift and Dunluce, which I would put in the short/very short category, they never reach 8 inches. But from what I can see the new Sarpo varieties fall into the very tall categories and presumably need much more space between the rows as would Ratte. I have always assumed that row spacing for earlies, 2nd earlies and maincrops were based on potential crop yield and the need to have sufficient space to hoe up the rows. But is this really true?

[paul.r]

too much nitrogen and consequently long lush growth leads to what old boys on the allotment would call "all top an no bottom." so high potash should help whatever the variety. having said that I have seen a photograph of huge potatoe haulm trained up a 6' fence. sorry its not the answer you asked for. rgds paul. p.s. I grow all the varieties you list I dont remember any of them being particularly short.

[Chez]

Hello Colin

The only ones on your list we have grown are Nadine - great choice too. We have bought more to put in this year.

Re the haulms of Nadine, about average I would say. We didn't notice any difference between these and the others we grew - Charlotte, Estima, Nicola, Valor, Foremost and Rocket. Apart from their roots. Nadine roots are shallow and quite wide-spreading. Very easy to miss potatoes unless you realise this (as we discovered last year). Although not quite answering your question, hope this helps somewhat.

[Colin Miles]

Thanks for the comments. This was all prompted first by the fact that I will be growing in pots, and secondly that there is a site which gives a lot of information on growing potatoes, including in pots. The link is below plus the info gleaned from it re potato haulms. Unfortunately none of my varieties are listed!

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/suttonelms/POT2.HTML

BRITISH QUEEN Flowers white with yellow centre. Short to medium haulms;

thin.
CHARLOTTE Flowers white with yellow centre. Medium to tall haulms, very thick.
CHERRY BELLE Insignificant haulms, flowers drop at bud stage,
CONGO BLACK (CONGO)
Another large vigorous plant, haulm thick and tall, very attractive blue and yellow flowers almost indistinguishable from those of Salad Blue. The leaves and stems have a blue cast.
DESIREE Flowers pale purple with yellow centre. Medium height haulms, fairly thick.
DUKE OF YORK and RED DUKE OF YORK Flowers aborted before maturing. Medium haulms; fairly thick.
EDZELL BLUE Flower white with yellow centre, short to medium short thin haulms
EPICURE Flower white with yellow centre. Haulms short, fairly thin.
FLOURBALL
1895 - Early Maincrop.large but slender haulms rather like those of British Queen; no flowers
GOLDEN WONDER
Flower bright purple with yellow centre; very tall, thick, prolific haulms sometimes 6 ft tall
HEATHER some plants do not seem to prosper and produce weak, spindly growth; others strong, heavy haulms
HIGHLAND BURGUNDY RED
No flowers. Long, weak, sprawling haulms, very susceptible to rain and blight damage.
ISLE OF BUTE
no flowers, strong plants.
KING EDWARD Tall, thick haulms, a little less vigorous than PICASSO.
KERR'S PINK No flowers seen. Haulms thin and relatively weak
LINZER DELICATESSE no flowers (drop at bud stage), medium haulms
MARIS PIPER
A large vigorous plant, haulm very thick and strong, attractive purple and yellow flowers similar to Golden Wonder
MIMI
no flowers
ORION Reputedly interesting blossom, but flowers often drop at bud stage
PENTLAND DELL Flowers drop at bud stage. Haulms medium strength
PICASSO Easily the best cropper in pots. Flower white with yellow centre; tall, thick haulms
PINK FIR APPLE Flower white with yellow centre, tall thin haulms
RECORD
It is a small, unremarkable plant; usually no flowers (these abort almost as soon as the buds form)
ROCKET Weak haulms; susceptible to blight; no flowers (drop at bud stage)
ROMANO medium haulms, pale purple flowers
ROOSTER
Flowers drop at bud stage. Haulms small
SALAD BLUE
Flower blue with yellow centre; very tall, thick haulms
SHETLAND BLACK Flowers generally drop whilst at the bud stage so no idea of colour; short, thin haulms
SWIFT
Haulms small.
ULSTER CHIEFTAN
white flowers with yellow centres
ULSTER PRINCE
Tall, thick haulms, no flowers (drop at bud stage)
UP-TO-DATE Flowers drop at bud stage. Haulms rather thin but very leafy ("spectacular" according to some authorities but looked fairly ordinary to me).
WILJA Pale purple flower with yellow centre. Haulms quite small
YETHOLM GYPSY
Flowers usually drop at bud stage. When seen they are pale purple with very small greenish yellow centres. Medium height haulms
YUKON GOLD slimmer haulms which are tall and need staking if it rains

heavily. flowers drop at bud stage

[Johnboy]

Hi Colin,
Large quantities of Nadine are grown locally and although the rows are 36" apart they always seem to completely cover the ground between rows so I would think that would mean that they are Large Haulmed.
Strangely although Nadine is a Second Early they are sown as a Main Crop hereabouts