I planted some potatoes in february from store bought ones that had sprouted in the cupboard just to see if it would grow, now theyve grown (I dug some up by mistake and they were looking normal) and ive got a patch of 4 or 5 of the plants sticking up, I'm just wondering
how do I know when to pull them up and how do I make sure they grow back next year,
if I leave them in the ground will I get even more next year
its may now and I just planted some more sprouted store bought potatoes is it too late for them to grow now or will they just rot or will they grow flower stem things next year
thanks
Usually you harvest after the plants die back, which is after flowering but your plants might be off because of when you planted. Storebought potatoes are long day varieties so they flower in summer then die back. If your tubers are large enough you can cut the plants down and then wait a couple of weeks for the skin to thicken for better storage. If you wait too long you run the risk of the tubers sprouting.
May is a good time to plant potatoes. they will act normally /seasonally for you.
You do want to dig them all up and replant rather than leave some in the ground. This is for two reasons 1) potatoes carry disease over winter (late blight =Irish potato famine blight). 2) You need proper spacing for a good yield. You can't realy do that by leaving four pounds of potatoes underground in one spot.
May is a good time to plant potatoes. they will act normally /seasonally for you.
You do want to dig them all up and replant rather than leave some in the ground. This is for two reasons 1) potatoes carry disease over winter (late blight =Irish potato famine blight). 2) You need proper spacing for a good yield. You can't realy do that by leaving four pounds of potatoes underground in one spot.
Potatoes for some reason like the worse dirt you can find. I usually plant them in a area that has lots of weeds that I cut down then just lay the potatoes on top and cover with a thick layer of brown leaves! They come through the leaves but the weeds can't. When the potatoes are done the ground seems to be richer and more loose for other crops next year!