Topic: Second Earlies and leaving them to get bigger?

[Chris Graham]

I have Arron Pilot and Kestrel in my veggie plot and understand these are second earlies.

They were planted out on 5th April and now the leave and stems have started to die and go yellow.

This all seems okay but do you think they will be able to grow large if I leave them in the ground longer?

They have all flowered well but I would rather leave them to mature a bit longer.

I'm not too sure the size these tatties will get too and looking to store them over winter. 

What do you think? ???

[Flunky]

Seeing as you had the courtessy to post in mine. LOL  ;D

I pulled my Epicure second earlies already. Now watch for the "YOU DONE WHAT !!!!" I am sorry I couldnt wait. LOL. They were very nice. I waited for the flowers to go and then went mad.

[tim]

We're just lifting as we need them. They're always much nicer straight out of the ground.

But I doubt that they put on much growth after the haulms give up. Better to clear off the haulms so that there is one less target for blight?

[Tee Gee]

Depends what your ground is like for keel slugs.

Personally I just leave my 2nd earlies in the ground and pick them as I need them, which in my case will be a while yet as I have only just started lifting my earlies.

If at the back end of the season I haven't picked all my 2nd earlies I lift and store them with my maincrop varieties.

The timing of this is dictated by the weather at the time i.e. before the onset of frosts.

Once in store I eat the remainder of my 2nd earlies first.

[kt.]

We're just lifting as we need them. They're always much nicer straight out of the ground.

But I doubt that they put on much growth after the haulms give up. Better to clear off the haulms so that there is one less target for blight?

Once haulms have died, I cut mine down to 3-4" stalks and leave them in the ground for up to another 2 weeks, providing the long term forecast is not to pour down.  You need to pull them before these rot to ground level, so the rot does not spread down  into the crop below ground.