Potato harvesting anyone?

[jayb]

I was somewhat late getting my potatoes in the ground this year but progress has been swift despite the ground being very dry. Had a firkle and picked a selection to taste. To be honest the first earlies could all be picked and the skins are thickening on some. Very yummy though

[clumsy]

Not yet starting to harvest chickpeas. I'm having a race with the mouse who seems to being eating more than me at the moment. I've seen it this morning it's a very fat well fed mouse.

[Galina]

Not yet here as well. Still harvesting peas and the beans aren't far off. Sorry about your rodents Clumsy. Do you have allotment cats?

[jayb]

Trouble is, I find mouse is often mice and they are all hungry! They also make lots of journeys to carry food off and store it for another day if they remember which larder they left it in! Feel for you though
We've got I think sparrows and blackbirds raiding tomatoes here, they just have a knack of getting to them first!

[clumsy]

Their was a cat but haven't seen it for a while must on a summer break. I saw the mouse this morning climbing up the plants and munching away. Now harvested all of them. I think the mouse will look for something else on my plot now though.

[Galina]

Unfortunately I agree with that. Once they have found a crop to their liking, they keep coming back.

[jayb]

Oh that mouse is just too rude! Can he/she be relocated somewhere to do less crop damage? They do little humane traps but sometimes a bucket with a ladder propped on the outside works.

[clumsy]

Harvested marfona potatoes on the charity plot nice big size. A Few about half kilo got slug damage. First time I have grown these hope the homeless like the taste. The picture was taken after the first row was harvested. Just to show what they looked like.

[jayb]

Nice crop, they look a good size too
I've not grown Marfona only eaten bought ones, but always thought they were a decent spud. I'm sure they will be well received and enjoyed, all the more because they have been hand grown.

[clumsy]

Today finished harvesting the marfona potatoes. Then harvested albert bartlett Elfe potatoes these are also first time growing. They look like a heavy cropper nice and big size potatoes. I'm definitely this one next year for myself. Unfortunate the ground was wet and it kept raining on and off did not take any photo's of what they look like.

But hopefully will start to harvest on my plot next week and see what mine have done.

[Galina]

Here only the Red Duke of York so far and they weren't that good, mostly a bit small. Anya next as the leaves are starting to look a little suspect with all this drizzle.

[jayb]

I've been cutting mine down as LB spreads not the happiest of pastimes

[Galina]

Today I dug Anya (bit disappointing), JAUK-06-83 an experimental potato bred by Jalving UK that was given out to test at Hampshire potato day in 2009 and which is still going strong. I was delighted with these, considering how old they are. A good omen for Hotdog and Snookie Jayb. And then Harlequin, which were pretty good also. None from fresh seed potatoes and also grown by the hedge, which isn't ideal. But I am quite pleased with them. The next one is Athlete, but the foliage is still perfect, so it can stay for a bit longer. Some mouse nibble, but not awful so far. .

[Galina]

Picture of these potatoes. left to right Anya, JAUK 06-83, Harlequin

[jayb]

Harlequin look a good size, JAUK 06-83 too.

[Galina]

I hope that this year I got it right and whilst mostly planting potatoes in order of earliness, I also aim to plant different colours next to each other to be sure which is which at harvest time. I have so many experimental potatoes still to come that I am only growing a few plants of others, and there are several varieties in each row. With tuber colour separation it should be easy to keep them separate.

[jayb]

Last couple of years I've planted earlies and mains at the same time but plant all the earlies together etc. Colour planting really helps when it comes to harvesting especially with the experimentals and grow outs

[clumsy]

They look nice. Have grown harlequin in the past love the taste. Anya not yet grown. Jalving UK had to google them, like the idea of trialling new varieties before they come to the market. Learn something new on this forum all the time.

[Galina]

Thank you Clumsy. Not that happy with Anya, because of slug damage. Only problem with trials is that the triallers don't get to find out what the commercial name of the variety is, if indeed it was ever named and brought to market. There are not many early potatoes that are round and of small baker size. If these deteriorate, I won't be able to replace them. Unfortunately they don't flower either. We were asked to compare them to Blue Moon and Red Robin. And JAUK 06-83 did far better than the comparison varieties. Both comparison varieties I ditched years ago, because yields were getting very poor, but I treasure that the experimental ones are still going strong.

[Galina]

Yesterday's harvested potatoes. The red Sarpo Mira at the top (surprisingly the leaves started showing signs of blight!), left Athlete, then dark purple Blue Belle Tps aka Black Lippy, and lastly Aimee.

[clumsy]

Love the different colour potatoes.

[Silverleaf]

Lovely to see how Aimee's doing!

[Galina]

Aimee came through well in 2018 too, despite the drought some very fine tubers and very little damage.