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I did quite well with my spuds this year. Mainly Maris piper second earlies. The plants have died off now, but the potatoes are still in the ground. We're not eating a lot of spuds at the minute. Still finishing the salad off.

If I harvest them now, how long can I keep them in a sack in the shed before they rot? If I leave them in the ground, how long will they last?

In the ground is very dependent upon the weather - too wet and they'll not last long before the nasties get them (especially those rotten slugs) but your soil type and the temperatures will also make a difference. Wire worm can be a nusiance.

In sacks, dry & good firm tatties, ages!! You will need to find somewhere cool but frost free (and kep the light off them too). Ours normally last pretty well through to February. Now and then you will need to tip the lot out and go through them removing any that are going too soft or showing signs of rot before they ruin the sack full.

Personally I normally aim to get all of mine up and into storage by the end of September.

mine are all up and stored in my garage and will last until end of feb, i did leave one row in the ground and when i lifted them this week i lost about half to wire worms and slugs.

I must say that I still have some earlies in the ground! The pumpkin vine has grown over the area so I am loathe to finishing going over that patch until the pumpkin vine has died off!  I pulled up a few the otherday - their skin tends to harden a little but the spud was fine.

My Kestrel have been bagged in sacks for about 3 weeks now and are usualy gone by xmas; but I still have a few Charlotte in the ground that I am harvesting as and when and will keep doing so until the beasties beat me.  They now need peeling as opposed to scraping but its still a harvest and they taste just as good.

What will happen if they never get lifted? My neighbouring plot has been abandoned with spuds still in the ground.

If they're left, they'll grow again in the spring. The danger is that some tubers may be infected with blight, and propagate the disease next year.

Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on September 10, 2012, 19:45:01
If they're left, they'll grow again in the spring. The danger is that some tubers may be infected with blight, and propagate the disease next year.

That's what I was worried about. Anyway i've contacted the council and apparently they are taking action, so hopefully they will be lifted soon.

If they are maris poopers I'd get them out the ground as they are prone to slugs, well mine were a few years back.   :-\

Quote from: cornykev on September 10, 2012, 20:34:53
If they are maris poopers I'd get them out the ground as they are prone to slugs, well mine were a few years back.   :-\

Good advice - some need lifting more urgently than others. left in the ground they may also be prone to wireworm.

Quote from: Aden Roller on September 12, 2012, 13:48:35

Quote from: cornykev on September 10, 2012, 20:34:53
If they are maris poopers I'd get them out the ground as they are prone to slugs, well mine were a few years back.   :-\

Good advice - some need lifting more urgently than others. left in the ground they may also be prone to wireworm.

Thanks for the advice Aden/Kev. Will get them out at the weekend.