potatoes

[val-sis]

Hello all you gardeners out there! About a month ago I planted a sprouting potato in a large pot to see whether it would grow...its gone crazy, and have got a really healthy looking plant. Now I know its only one potato, and I don't suppose I will get more than a couple of pots out of it., but what I want to know is how long before I pull it, and how do I know when I've got any there.?

[muff13]

Where are you growing this magic pot? I assume that it must be under cover somewhere frost free else you will suffer (or the potato will!!)

It really depends on what type of potato it is. Do you know the variety? If it is an early variety you can use the potatoes once the plant has flowered, but should it be a main crop variety it would need to be left for a while.

Once you think that you want to try it, it is worth trying to feel amongst the compost with your hand, or scrape a bit away to see if you can see any potatoes and see if they are large enough to eat.

[val-sis]

Hi Muff, well I havn't a clue what the variety was, just one I had bought to cook! White..thats all I know... Am growing it in my conservatory, which is not heated, but not a problem for frost.Will wait till it flowers, thats good to know (didn't know they flowered). Will have a dig around after that. Thanks for your help...

[Greenmantle]

If it was a fairly big potato, such as you would buy for baking, roasting or mashing, chances are it's a maincrop or late varierty, in which case you don't harvest them until the top has died down in mid-kate summer. (But how big a spud are you going to produce in a pot anyway)

If it was a small one, like a new or salad potato, then it will be an early varierty, which you pull up after the bloom has dropped.

[val-sis]

Thanks Greenmantle, It was a large one, so will wait til it dies down! No I don't suppose I'll get much, but only did it out of curiosity to begin with, so am now intrigued to find out what it does produce....enough for Sunday lunch maybe.