Kitchen Garden Forum

On www.webmaster@gardenaction.co.uk it advises to continue to pick the flower heads on potato's to get a better crop, I must say I have never seen this advice before.

Hello Shallotman
I've never heard this one before - can't think that doing this would make any difference. It would be a rather thankless task anyway.

Your link throws up a warning on my browser so I went directly to the gardenaction site.

John

Hi Shallot man,
I click on the website displayed an get absolutely no reaction whatsoever. As John I went to their web through Google.
I couldn't find the bit that you mentioned but read that Potatoes should be planted 4" yes 4" deep.
That is a new one on me and feel that a 4" trench is not really a trench at all. To me that is nonsense.
I think, with respect, that you will get better advice on this forum than gardenaction.
JB.

I went to my allotment for the first time for a few days today expecting the worst, blight on the foilage, but it was all clean, which was a relief!

But! the were some flowers forming on both earlies and lates, so I picked them all off. My father always did this, he said the potatoes tubers stopped growing with too many flowers on.
But if you lot have never picked them off,without losing (weight of tubers) maybe it is an old wives tale.

But I shall continue picking them off, just in case!
Cheers

I think Bob Flowerdew on GQT once reckoned flowering significantly reduced the crop, there must be a scientific write up somewhere.
Did you hear him remind us the days start shortening in 3 weeks on this week's programme? Cheery or what.

The same question is on the BBC gardening forum!

I would have to say it would be very hard to prove either way, as the farmers do not de flower theirs.

I have grown 2 varieties of potatoes this year in different conditions - Witchhill and Salad Blue. The first ones were grown in pots in the greenhouse (Feb 6th) and later put outside - they are still there and growing as I am taking a few tubers at a time. They have had no flowers at all. Outside the same varieties were planted out around April 6th. They are growing very well and the Salad Blue, in particular, has flowered. They certainly look very healthy and I shall be interested to see what kind of crop I get from them. I suppose I should really deflower half and compare the yields but I don't think I will bother.