Topic: Timing the harvesting of maincrop potatoes

[George the Pigman]

Well I will hopefully be digging up the last of my second earlies today - weather permitting. Next its the maincrops. Usually I leave them until the haulms go brown then dig them up as soon as possible to avoid the slugs ruining them. The text book says September is the usual time for lifting maincrops but mine went in towards the end of April and many of the haulms are already going yellow or brown and collapsing.
Out of interest I Googled what other people do and there is quite a variation in opinion. Some follow my line, others say wait two weeks after they go brown then them dig up to allow the skins to harden. Another says cut the haulms down when yellow and wait 10 days again to allow hardening of the skins for better lifting and storage.
There is also one opinion that even when the haulms are dying down the nutriment from them feeds into the tubers helping them get bigger -so you shouldn't harvest until they have died down completely.

What do others do?

[BarriedaleNick]

Generally - get blight and panic!
I normally take mine in September regardless of what they look like.  The sarpo mira seem to go on on..

[ACE]

They say that the xmas spuds will get bigger after the tops have died, so I suppose it is the same for all of them. I have planted half a dozen second earlies to try out the xmas  stunt. They look really good at the moment full of flower, too early I expect but I will leave  one plant in until November to see what happens and also see if they are bigger.

[saddad]

A lot of the newer varieties, even mains, bulk up faster so farmers can get them up quicker. Older varieties like say Arran Victory (1919) wouldn't finish bulking up until November.. generally referred to now as late mains.

[ancellsfarmer]

Last of my limited crop of potatoes, Pink Fir Apple ,were to have been left a little longer but this morning it was evident that a 'critter' had decided they were to be lifted. Odd holes scrabbed, haulms torn out and PFA scattered across the adjacent, newly seeded area. Jury remains out as to whether the guilty party was fox/badger/crow/pheasant. No eaten remains, no droppings, no footprints, no clues at all. Insufficient to have been human, no signs of entry over/under 3ft. stock fence.
 Now lifted and drying for storage. At least they have done well, no -dig is great for tatties.