When do you dig your maincrops?

[Mrs Ava]

Potatoes I mean.  I have King Edwards, 2 others which I can't remember off hand, and Pink Fur Apples (always sounds like a good band name to me) still in the ground.  The foliage of the Kings has all but died away now, same with the other 2, and the PFA is starting to die back.  Will this rain boost spud size or only encourage slugs?  Should I really be thinking about clearing them all over the next couple of weeks?

[Mrs Ava]

[tim]

Pink Fir Apple are usually happy till mid-Sep at least.

[redimp]

I am currently cutting foliage on my King Eds as it dies back.  Once the last haulm has been cut back I will dig two weeks later.  I am about to start cutting back my Caras.

[markyb23]

Hi E.J, and everyone else,
                                          I'm not sure about the best time to dig the spuds up.Last year I left my Pink Fir apples until the last.When I finally came to dig them up they'd completely dissapeared.I do find that the longer I leave them,the more that the slugs get.Good Luck to you,whenever you choose to dig them up.
     All The Best-Marky.B. :)                                   
   

[Roy Bham UK]

:o Ooh! err! :o never mind the main crop :o I haven't reached my second earlies yet :o and the foliage is dying back rapidly :( I am now going to run around like a headless chicken until someone tells me to calm down it's only a commercial ;D (sorry got side tracked :P).

Seriously, should I be panicking? should I dig em up? Maybe leave the rest of first earlies to seed for Christmas?

[jennym]

I think a lot depends on whether the soil is heavy and wet and there are slugs, in which case I'd dig them up asap, or if it's sandy and light, you can leave them in longer. I tend to start digging in earnest now, because I suspect soon we'll get the blight, and I'd like to get them up before that. But as to earlies etc, yes I've still got some in. Also, I have before left Anya and Pink Fir Apple until later, the knobbly ones seem to fare OK left until last.

[tim]

Surprised about your PFA, mark - I usually find they're the ones the slugs don't touch.

Roy, I would have thought that, with the foliage gone, your pots would be  better lifted. On a dry day - to firm them up for store?

[markyb23]

Hi Tim,and everyone else out there,
                                                         I was a bit baffled about the P.F A's.I planted them very late but they seemed  to be growing ok.I thought perhaps they just hadn't produced any tubers for some reason.Or maybe they got blighted,and just rotted away,being quite small.It is blight,when they go all mushy isn't it?
   Not to worry though.You win some ,you lose some.
     Cheers-Marky :)

[Roy Bham UK]

Thanks Guys, well today is going  to be dry after that the rains are forecast so I'd best be getting up the lottie and digging them up, ::) I have at least three rows :o ;D

[Mrs Ava]

Only 3 Roy, I still have 8 rows of spuds to lift!  Going to be busy this weekend!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'll be digging mine when I've finished digging the Duke of Yorks. I just lift them as I need them, and I'll probably start in a couple of weeks.