Just Small Potatoes

[Old_Geezer]

Yes I know, I could register on a garden forum somewhere but it seems a fuss if there's experienced spud growers here willing to advise.

As mentioned in another thread, I've tried my hand at growing spuds in buckets this year, but circumstances dictated I had to be away from home and all the plant related things I was trying were deprived of water. Only a few potato plants seemed to survive, and most of them didn't. Brought the potato buckets away so I could try to revive them where I was, but didn't seem to achieve much.

So, recently I gave up and emptied them all out. Found loads of wood lice, is that normal ? Also sloppy potato skins which I assume were the original seed potatoes. But as for the "crops", numerically I've now more potatoes, but in terms of weight/volume that's questionable.

I'm unsure that most are big enough to be worth cleaning & eating. What's the best thing to do with them ? (They're presently in bags.) Replant them ? Store them to use as seed next year ? Sling them ? Eat them anyway ?

What of the really small ones, like pea sized ? Are they capable of producing a plant next year ?

Cheers.

[AKMild]

You've rightly identified the cause of the small yield as lack of water. It's water and space that makes the tubers swell, so container-grown spuds are always likely to be second in size to those grown in open ground. However, many, if not most of us do not have acres of garden to use as vegetable patches, and container-grown spuds is the way to go.

As for what to do with them, well the sloppy skins are, as you have said, the original seed potato. The small spuds will grow into new plants if either left to do their thing or lifted and planted next spring, but they will not be certified virus-free and may well disappoint. I wash anything bigger than pea-sized, boil them for 10-15 mins in their skins and then add mayonnaise when cool to give a passable potato salad. Anything pea-sized or smaller gets ditched in the green waste.

[Old_Geezer]

Two different viewpoints eh :-)
Thanks for the responses.

Unsure I'd recognise a normal spud from one with blight or scab. I did isolate a few of each variety that looked less than near perfect into different bags. I'd not be keen to eat them without checking inside first.

Well no hurry; I can wait a while and check they're not going off.

[melv16]

Were they first earlies or main crop spuds?

[Old_Geezer]

Mixed. I'd bought a starter kit of Swift, Desiree, and Charlotte. One bucket each. And in addition some Purple Majesty which supplied enough seed potatoes for three more buckets.

[melv16]

I grow my earlies in 12" pots I get from Morrisons flower section...only 98p for 10. I think you need something much larger to grow main crop in. In previous years I've filled a five gallon bucket off one plant, when I've grown main crop in the ground.
You need plenty of water, space and a fertile soil to grow main crop successfully.

[ladybirder]

Wouldn't Grow Bags be better?

OG I've been trying to get rid of spuds for 5 years, in the ground, and still had three plants come up this year. Can't get rid of the blighters.

[Old_Geezer]

The kit came with the buckets. Bought three more for the purple ones.

[alavahalf]

The funniest thing I have seen on the allotment this year was last week. A newcomer asked me if he should dig up some new potatoes. I told him to go ahead and said I had some mint to offer for his first time attempt. He stuck his fork in below the potato plant and went to prise it from the ground. In fact it came out rather easily as the ground was bone dry .. along with about 7 or 8 spuds all about the size of malteasers.
No doubt OG .. your issue is lack of water. This year a container will dry out in no time.
You can eat any potatoes whatever size, just don't eat the green ones.

[rowanwitch]

I grew a few in rubble sacks but the soil got too hot. Had my best results in dustbin a few years back. but no space here. Will buy them next year and use the space for blueberries.