Advice needed from potato growers

Grindley

I am growing sarpo mira potatoes in containers and they still have healthy looking green foliage. I hope it doesn't happen but need advice if the weather turns frosty. If it turns frosty do I only have to worry if it's a sharp frost? If it does forecast frost - do I cut the foliage but leave the potatoes to harden in the containers, or do I harvest them. Advice appreciated!

Technophobe

Hi Grindley,

How long are they planted ?

Grindley

Hi Technophobe.
It's quite hard to remember. I probably (is the term) chitted? them indoors in mid March and then probably planted them outside late April or early/middle in May. Their foliage has not died back yet - in fact they look mightly happy in their current situation. I have grown sarpo axona in the past and got a (late) amazingly heavy harvest which did me till Christmas.
I did plant other non sarpo varieties (earlies etc) - and very much enjoyed their harvest/consumpion. Didn't so much enjoy having to spray them whenever blight threatened! What you gain on the swings you lose on the roundabouts.
Best regards
G

Technophobe

Ah right, they are well established so:)

You don't need to worry about cold weather then really....The foliage will die off itself and a small bit of frost will do no harm....
The potatoes themselves underground will be well insulated too, so no problems there.. I have on occasion dug up potatoes in December, having not got round to lifting them earlier, and they were fine..

ps... chitted is the right term too

Grindley

I have to say that of all the things I have grown, that potatoes have given me the greatest gardening satisfaction (especially those that I have grown in containers).When the 5 seed potatoes turn into (nearly) a stone (don't know the metric equivalent) of fresh potatoes - that's grand. Next year I will be simplifying and instead of growing a multitude of things I will be attempting to grow some potatoes, a tomato plant or two, a courgette plant or three, some french and runner beans, 2+ tomatillos plant and some chives. I intend the planning to help me through the long dark winter. I mostly grow in containers and will probably be found preparing containers for spring on Christmas/New year week - I've spent that week in worse ways in the past.
Thank you Technophobe for your advice. I have not found many vegetable growers in my locality and internet advice can be very contradictory. G

Maidhci

I also have a crop of Sarpo Mira, planted in raised beds, where the foliage is still quite healthy and green, although dying back a little in the last few days. I have read somewhere that it is a good idea to cut off the foliage on Sarpo Mira potatoes in late September, within 3 or 4 inches of the surface - I have not done this at any stage in the past and only harvest when the foliage has died back completely, usually mid to late October. Has anyone here tried cutting back the foliage on the Sarpo Mira. The other maincrop variety that I have is Kerrs Pink and they are much more advanced than the Sarpo Mira, it was a similar situation in previous years.