Your comments and tips

20 Jul 09, Sarah (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Regarding the earlier comments about frost, i once flatted with a woman who forgot to harvest the container potatoes she was growing before the frosts arrived - and it can get down to -5 here, although -2 or -3 is more usual - and they came away again the next spring. i have no idea how the crop turned out, since i moved out before she dug them up, but it's worth bearing in mind that potatoes are the storage unit for the plant. if your plants get frosted, it just might mean that you have to wait until the next year for your crop.

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20 Jul 09, Sarah (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Ivan, if i remember rightly, your potatoes will be ready to be dug up once the leaves start turning yellow. for main crop potatoes - those that grow later in the season, you can wait until the tops die down completely before you dig, and this will help them to keep longer. if your spuds are earlys - growing early in the season, just start digging when the yellowing starts.

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20 Jul 09, Sarah (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Lisa, just leave your potatoes in the tyres for their entire growing season - i doubt they like being moved much since they are a root crop. you can increase the size of your crop by adding more tyres on top and filling with soil or potting mix, whatever you're currently using. leave a bit of green growth poking through though - say around 5cm or so. you could easily stack 4 or 5 tyres high.

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20 Jul 09, Edward (Australia - temperate climate)

Lisa - I would advise against eating anything grown in tyres, especially any tuber. Sorry. Tyres contain (among other elements) cadmium, lead, and zinc. Not too late to start a 'no dig' option....... :-)

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18 Jul 09, Lisa (Australia - temperate climate)

I have my potato plants growing in tyres, as advised by my local nursery. should i take the plants out? the plants are about 5 weeks old and about 10 cm high? thank you

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18 Jul 09, Ivan (Australia - temperate climate)

My spuds have been in for 11 weeks now, they have a huge amount of green leaves. How long before they flower, and If they don't flower when can they be picked?

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15 Jul 09, Emma (United Kingdom - warm/temperate climate)

Hi Jane They should still be ok to plant and produce more potatoes. You won't be eating the main potato seed anyway, that's normally rotted by the time you harvest them. As Gareth says all green spuds are poisonous.

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12 Jul 09, jane (Australia - temperate climate)

Thanks Gareth, that's what I was hoping.

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01 Jul 09, gareth (Australia - temperate climate)

jane along as you dont eat these potatos because they are now piisonous but you should be alright with the others aslong as they arnt exposed to light and i dont now weather this will aid in production of spuds but oh well see what happens

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21 Jun 09, Gavin Ryan (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I just purchased a couple of bags of seed potatoes. Will they last till Spring?

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