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My Rocket spuds have flowered (not very much) but when I had a look today the soil underneath is very dry and the few potatoes there are are very small and have holes in. Is it worth using up precious water on them, or do they stop growing after flowering?

some of ours were well down, Caroline, they must've gone down looking for the water, I pulled them and, when Ray dug down, there were quite a few, our soil is like dust but deep down, there is moisture  ;D

I don't know the answer but I had assumed it might still have an effect, so I have given my potatoes some water this week.

I dug up one plant the other day and it had NO potatoes underneath??? !! It must have started with at least one, but no sign of it!

Oh dear - bad year!  ::)

Think it must be a bad year for spuds! Oh well dont give up Im still watering mine.  :)

They must be their somewhere..... Rocket is an indestructible thug of a spud..... I might grow a handful next year for stupid-early-in-pots-in-the-greenhouse cos they're so dependable, but my standard first early for next year will be Lady Christl, in pots.... they are soooooooo yummy as potato salad and with some attention I could have them going from about the end of May I reckon......

I can't believe ROcket has failed you unless it had contaminated compost or something....

chrisc

Ok, will keep the faith and hope for rain.  :)

My ground was dry when I dug up my Rocket, some of the plants only have a few spuds on them and some have slug holes in them.  :-\ :-\ :-\

Our arran pilot are going floury when steamed. Never had that. So glad that we planted some anya cos they are fatastic

have to say our spuds are fantastic so far, all those in the ground looking good as well but they have been well watered however the last really dry summer we had and even though they were well watered then our salad potatoes also went floury when steamed, not so this year so possibly all down to variety

I feel sorry for those who don't have tap water on their plots, must be a nightmare keeping crops going well

Cal - it is!

My back is the worst its been for years. Lottie 1 I haul water from the brrok (20 yd round trip two watering cans a time). Lottie 2 and 3 - no brook. I am filing the butts using 25 litre plastic containers. I have a wheel barrow but you still have to lift them from the car to the barrow and from the barrow to the butt.

With water being that precious it goes on my squash and beans. Taters will have to fend for themselves.

I must say that the spuds come last on the list for watering as well. Theres only so much a body can do ;D

we cannot ever be certain of a long hot and dry summer but if water is a premium on plots then choosing drought tolerant varieties might help - i don't know if they are known for it but one of our second earlies 'linzer delikatess' were grown on poorish soil and not watered as much as our other varieties elsewhere and their growth has been fantastic and if the foliage is any indication of what's beneath the soil then that has proved to be a good variety for the weather we have had - might be worth checking them out for the future

i asked my grandad, the oracle, about this.  His were the same.  He gave them a thorough good soaking after they'd flowered - really soaked them left them a week and it worked - they'd grown much bigger!!!