Kitchen Garden Forum

Having cut the haulms off potatoes growing in a series of tubs and buckets, if I leave the spuds in there will they still fill out?

Haulms had brown spots on leaves, but not blight (which I recognise from several years experience, hence grew a blight-resistant variety Sarpo Mira). Foliage had grown very little and is die-ing off , despite the seed potatoes being healthy and sprutting well when planted end April. Checked out one tub of potatoes and the contents are tiny and yet a different variety planted a couple of weeks later in similar sized tubs has produced good sized potatoes and the foliage stayed green and lush.

If I leave the potatoes in the tubs will they continue to fill out?

Am I the only one to have had problems in 2014 with Sarpo Mira? Sarpo Axona, planted later still, are looking good but the best ones are International Kidney. No sign of blight on anything yet. (Fingers crossed)

Thanks for any advice.

Without leaves there's no energy going into the plant.

Thanks Peter for another very helpful reply. We will tip the potatoes out, and eat 'em!

Hi DavesWife,
When you cut the haulm off your potatoes they will not grow any more but the skins will thicken and this makes them better for storing.
When you dig potatoes without first removing the haulm there is a greater risk of damaging the potatoes and they should be used first.
Potatoes with the haulm removed can be dug at will and would suggest lifting main crop three weeks to a month after haulm removal.
These will store well without many losses due to lack of damage.
Here the haulms are all burnt and only re- enter the plot ash.
JB.

Thanks for your advice, Johnboy.

In the case of the Sarpo Mira grown in buckets there are so few potatoes in there that we just eat a bucket load in one sitting.

In November 2013 I shifted all the buckets into the greenhouse and emptied one at a time when we needed some spuds and the crop was so good that the buckets were deformed. All those lovely spuds, eh.