Topic: digging up spuds in wet weather

[susan1]

My hub has told me tonight he is going to dig up all our spuds in the morning whether its raining or not can anyone tell me if this is a good or bad idea, we have always left them to dry out for a couple of days on the ground in previous years, i dont think this will be possible with the weather forcast

[elvis2003]

it will certainly make it harder work for him,heavier soil and all that,bless him!

[zigzig]

Well you need to dig them some time and if you have got the space indoors, then with cardboard or newspaper as a bottom layer, spread them out and keep turning them until they are dry all over then bag them up. (It wont take that long)

Dirty but dry spuds will keep a bit better than washed and dried. The key word is dry but how long in this country do we get to dry them out doors?

[Mr Smith]

prefare to dig up spuds in dry weather but at this time of year it is difficult to find a dry week, today it will be claggy with the soil sticking to the spuds, good luck, ;)

[Tee Gee]

Go for it! beat the slugs who will be revelling in this shall I say 'damp' weather'

All you need is to get them under cover after lifting as soon as possible and lay them out to dry, I have used the garage floor before now.

This is what I did this year and after about three days they were bagged up and in permanent storage under the bench;

Kestrel;




Fir Apple;



Bagged and under the bench;

[betula]

Not so easy for flat dwellers or people with limited space though  :)

[susan1]

thanks, have now got several plastic garden tubs sitting in the porch, I will keep turning them everyday untill they are dry to bag up  :)

[Si D]

I acknowledge wht zigzag says about dirty ones, but if digging thin skinned ones at this time of year* I find that it helps to have a bucket of water close at hand - can give the spuds a quick rinse as you dig each plant, and discard any dodgy ones there and then.   They also dry out quicker if they are not caked with mud.

* I found last year that 1/3 were slug ravished to the extent that they were no good for storing, and thus would have been a lot of extra work to lug home from the allotment and dry out.