Multi-cropping potatoes

[Kepouros]

On the 23rd June I posted in another thread on the subject of taking two or more crops from early potatoe plants. This is the second crop from a plant of Rocket, which was dug up and cropped on the 4th June, replanted, and dug up again 2 days ago (the basket is 9 inches square).



This plant is the one I cropped for the second time on 23rd June and replanted. I dug it up again 2 days ago to clear the row and this is its third crop.



And these are the roots of three plants which had already second cropped, and which I consigned to the bonfire pile a fortnight ago. I had cleaned them off first, but the rain has kept them growing.  Because most of the underground stolons had been broken - restricting the normal means of reproduction - the plants have instead now also formed stem tubers (which would be just as edible)

[Kepouros]

[tim]

Curiouser & curiouser!

[jonny211]

Cool.... so how do you do this? Do you dig up the whole plant, remove the largest tubers and then bury it again?

[cornykev]

 ??? ??? ???

[Kepouros]

 jonny211, quite simply, yes, and I`ve been doing it for years. Usually I only get second crops, and usually only on those replanted up to mid june, but the wet weather this summer has been particularly favourable for multi-cropping.

Let me explain that when I first plant the seed tubers in trenches (in February, under double fleece) I cover them with an inch or so of well rotted compost, and when I give the first earthing I add as much again.  This means that the whole root mass of the plant is in a friable mixture, will lift easily, and can be parted from its tubers without damage, after which I simply enlarge its original hole and replant it - usually slightly deeper than previously.

The original stolons (the thick white underground runners on which the tubers usually form) from which tubers are taken are often broken in the process, but usually there are several immature ones waiting to develop and you can see the tiny tubers forming on them.  Where there are insufficient of these the plant will then often produce stem tubers - tubers actually growing on the plant stems above the roots - which is why I replant deeper to make sure they are covered.  You can see large numbers of these on the bottom photo, although many are green with having been exposed on the bonfire pile. All of them formed after the plants were discarded.  Apart from the fact that they form on the stems these tubers are identical with the stolon borne ones in every respect.