Spuds

[Old_Geezer]

Having declined to act on advice last year and sling my spuds away, I kept them covered in the garage over winter and replanted them this year. Judging from the greenery they did well.

I've just rummaged around in the corner of the bed where I planted the Swift variety, removed enough for 4 to 6 meals.

My question is, do they keep better left where they are until needed, or better time-tabling a day to try to get them all up and into bags ? I'd rather the former but ...

Amazing the variety of sizes and how easy it is to miss some. I think they may unintentionally be a permant feature, judging from today's gathering.

[alavahalf]

The thing is new potatoes (1st earlies as they are known) are not meant for storing, they are meant to be dug up and consumed. Main crop spuds which arrive later in the season are for storing and are best kept in either either hessian sacks or paper sacks, in a cool dry place.
For the past 4 years I have shied away from growing spuds in the ground and more or less grow all of them in containers. The main reason being they will store happily for months in the containers and compost they were grown in. They always come out of a container blemish free and no slug holes !

[Old_Geezer]

Cheers. That's great.

The ones that came out of my raised bed seemed blemish free. So extracting a few meals at a time seems both best and convenient. Hopefully I'll try the first tomorrow then.

I did feel guilty slinging the rest of the plant into the already full compost bin though after all it did for me :-) Must sort that bin out when I've a chance.

[Palustris]

First Earlies can be kept for future use. In our previous garden we only ever plant them and Seconds (Blight always got maincrop). They both kept well for as long as they were needed, or actually until they began to shoot. All that happens is that the skin hardens and they are no longer 'new' potatoes.

[Old_Geezer]

Worth knowing, thanks.