Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi

I planted some Pink Fir Apples earlier in the year (you may remember as I posted on here for advice at the time!) which have been a successful and I've been harvesting them. I think I read that they are an early maincrop.

I'm wondering how long I can risk leaving them stored in the ground, or should I dig them all up and store in paper sack?

They are tasty I would be upset if they were ruined in the ground, but at the moment it seems to be ok. I am worried about the cold and rain making them rot or something similar.

What does everyone else do?
Thanks in advance,
Acrylic

p.s Also I tried growing some in containers with some limited success, however you don't get half as many as growing them directly in the ground !

Pink Fir Apples are the best spud by far

Mine are still in the ground and shall stay there until the 1st heavy frosts are due, whench they shall be dug up, placed into old coffee sacks and stored in the shed up the allotment

These are by far the best spud for Spanish Tortilla, and as one of the seed cats says 'Decadance is Pink Fire apples, sliced in half and fried like a chip'

Mr C

Dear Acrylicspud, i would say they are a very late maincrop.
If the tops are still green with no signs of blight, and they are not being troubled by slugs, i would leave them as long as possible to get a maximum crop.
The only problem that could arise is if it does come really wet, it can be the most awful job harvesting them.

I must say i am quite jealous, as all mine succumbed to blight quite early in the season.

Acrylicspud.From personal experience, the longer mature potatoes are left in the ground the more slug damage there is, times getting on now and where I am (thats darn sowth) things are getting distinctly chilly so I dont think theres much more growing to come,Pick a nice warm day and get them up would be my advice. Ive never left any potatoes untill the first frost, Dahlias but not potatoes.
Mind you every year you dig over the ground where you grew last years spuds and what do you find? the best spuds you ever grew!!! sods bl**dy law.Strawberry Tart.