My Home Grown Potatoes Explode When Boiled And My..

[kylesmum]

home grown cauli's were a disaster :(

Well the potatoes looked fabulous when we lifted them, we boiled them up, they didn't just turn to mush they literally exploded in the pan ! I'm not sure if I want to lift the rest !

Caulis were beautiful babies but ugly adults, the florets separated and turned purple, they are all now in the recycling bin :(

Where did I go wrong? Anyone else had a home grown disappointment?

[paddywak]

Depends on what type of potatoes they are, some are great for boiling some for frying some are ok for either.It's that long since I've done any veg gardening I cant remember which strains are good for what but a little research will tell you.

[paddywak]

Caulis are awful things to grow, I remember once looking and thinking a load of caulis would be ready for picking in a couple of hours,of I went when I got back the whole lot had blown

[douglas9401]

A friend of mine has had a complete disaster with his tatties. He ends up with nothing but cloudy water when trying to boil them.

[kylesmum]

Hahaha, I shouldn't laugh but I did paddywak :) I was the same with my caulis !

I was so proud of my caulis, I envisaged new potatoes and cauliflower cheese, my finest hour !! (my mouth's still watering at the thought lol)

They let me down..and then some !!

No clue about the type of potatoes, just supermarket ones which had sprouted. Can you tell i'm an amateur?

I'm very determined for next year though, just need to know of easy peasy veg I am guaranteed a result from, if they exist!

[kylesmum]

Sorry douglas you weren't there.

That is precisely what happened to mine, they couldn't even be salvaged to mash them, i've never seen anything like it !

[Maydup]

The same happened to me a few years ago but I put it down to the variety I grew. Ts was Home Guard and I haven't grown them since.

Instead I stick with Charlotte, Arron Pilot, or Swift for beautiful and early potatoes.

In the meantime, you could try baking them. Wash a few of the same size and rub in oil. Wrap about 4 medium size in foil (do a package per person) and bake for about. Half an hour. They will stay whole this way and saves wasting them. Otherwise steam and mash them.

[paddywak]

Kylsmum, I was so mad I never grew caulis again. At the time I'd no real garden of my own and used to do my mums,called in off the night shift pottered about for an hour had my breakfast then went home went back about five hours latter and they'd all gone.To say I was annoyed is an understatement.

[kylesmum]

Thank you maydup, I shall try that.I'll dig the rest up tomorrow and let you know what they're like baked :) (why didn't I think of that lol !!)

[kylesmum]

paddy...I can assure you I 'get' you completely !

I had my Mum around just a couple days ago (expert gardener) and she bent the leaves over to cover/protect them.Confidence was high from both camps, one day on and they were barely recognisable as caulis, I had to sadly concede defeat :(

Never again, i'm not sure if I can take the highs and lows......;)

[SpikeyBush]

Try steaming your spuds. I steam all my veg and the taste & texture is much better than if I boiled them, and only takes a few minutes longer than boiling. Get a Tesco Value steamer for tuppence ha'penny if you haven't already got one.

I do my fish in the steamer too.