Potatoes

InTheMoorlands

I'm recently retired and had never grown much in my life until last year.  We started late and didn't have much success.  This year we are more organized and seem to be on the right track.  About two weeks ago I planted potatoes in a container and just wondered when I should expect to see some stalks coming out of the soil?  The container looks the same as when I planted it out.

SherwoodArrow

How long it takes depends on a number of things.
 
Did you chit (let them grow small shoots) before you planted them?  

Soil temperature can also effect them, how deep you plant them. 

InTheMoorlands

They had small shoots on each of the three we planted.  I planted them a couple of inches deep. 

We are about 750 feet above sea level and it can get a bit cold, even in summer.  However, the lettuce, rocket and spinach are managing, but they had a start in the greenhouse.

I always thought that growing veg. was easy!

SherwoodArrow

Don’t worry they will come up. Last year I had 4 rows of potatoes, all but 1 came through, 1 day before I was going to earth the rest up it finally came through.

Once they are up, growing potatoes is easy, earth them up and lots of water. 

InTheMoorlands

Thanks SherwoodArrow

I did put a few potatoes in last year and, from what i can remember, they came up a bit earlier.  The crop wasn't very good though!  This year i have used a ferilizer specifically for potatoes so this should help.

Allotment Boy

It has been quite cold at night even here in the soft south, it has also been very dry, particularly this wind carries away a lot of moisture.  Check below the surface if dry give them some water. Mine are not showing yet either.

steephill

I planted mine at least 6 inches down in the ground a month ago and don't expect to see top growth from them for a few more weeks. Deep planting helps prevent late frost damage here. I am in the soft south too but at 500ft above sea level and on a north facing slope.

Did you earth up your potatoes as they grew last year? If not that would explain why you didn't get much of a crop but I expect that you will have topped up your containers as shoots appeared. Inadequate watering is a common failing as others have said and harvesting too soon doesn't help either. I wait until the top growth has begun to die back before trying to harvest them.

Emptyheadtime

mine have been in for 3 weeks and no sign yet, they will come when they are ready. As long as they are not showing I don’t need to worry about frost damage, so every cloud and all that.

StephenSouthwest

I think of growing veg as being both easy, and a little random!

I planted a potato in a pot this spring which took a month before it showed any sign of life...

Joyce Goldenlily

I have a potato barrel which I thought I had emptied last year. The top is full of potato leaves and stems, presumably, the tiny ones I missed have grown. I am leaving them alone and will see if I have any edible sized potatoes eventually. The barrel has been outside all winter so I am surprised the elements have killed off the baby potatoes.

JennyJ

I think potatoes are more resilient than we think. I found half a bag of leftover seed potatoes in the shed last September, all wrinkly with loads of long white sprouts. I'd already harvested the crop from the first half of the bag so I rubbed off the sprouts and planted them (in half water butts). They grew a bit then died (as you'd guess at that time of year, outside) but when I emptied out the containers a month or so ago I got enough potatoes for about 4 meals for the two of us.