Kitchen Garden Forum

For many years I have been growing several varieties of blight resistant potatoes in containers. One of my favourites is Sarpo Mira. Tasty, reliable yield, I cut off the haulms when they have died down and move the undisturbed container under cover (in a greenhouse) for storage until we need to tip out the potatoes and these, and other varieties, store very well into the winter.

However this year (late August 2025) as the Sarpo Mira haulms die down completely, vigorous fresh green shoots have appeared on the old stems. I cut the haulms down hoping to preserve the contents for a bit longer but they have still produced shoots from the bit of stem left. So I have tipped out the contents of each container and find that yield is much lower than previous years, the container is absolutely full of roots and there are one or two tiny potatoes which are shooting. Only the Sarpo Mira are affected, all other varieties have grown as usual and Charlotte, for example, have died down without any sign of throwing up new shoots.

All the varieties in containers have been watered and fed throughout this hot summer so it's not as if one variety has been treated differently. In fact next to the row of Sarpo Mira containers is another variety and they are unaffected so I don't think it is the location that has caused this issue.

Any ideas? What do you think has caused this re-growth at a time of the season when the haulms should be dying down?

Cheers!

Evening Angie, long time no see, but nice to see you back on the forum.

Not sure what to say about the Sarpo Mira…..it sounds as if the haulms still had some life in them and responded to being cut down….regarding the small potatoes and then them re shooting, this normally happens when the potatoes have been too dry when they are forming and the being followed by better growing conditions and this triggers them back into growth…..maybe Sarpo Mira disliked the very hot conditions, than the other varieties.

Having same experience with spuds growing in buckets & box at home not on the plot though.

Seems to respond to the liquid feed from hot compost bin as that is when I see new shoots where some have gone yellow, others that are green that start to wilt perk up again.

Have a fear that I may be growing leaves and not spuds.

Thanks for your comments. Much appreciated. Cheers!