Leaving potatoes in the ground

[caroline7758]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of leaving potatoes in the ground after the plants have died down, rather than lifting them, and how long can you leave them? I'm worried that the slugs might be getting them now that the ground is wet.

[caroline7758]

[calendula]

it depends on what type of spud they are - if first earlies you'd be missing out on their flavour, smallness etc by leaving them in the ground (they'll just get bigger) - same with second earlies, but if they are main crop (early or late) you could leave them until the threat of frosts - maincrops will storre better than others - alternatively plan to cook and eat them :-)

[grawrc]

I still have second earlies (Kestrel) in the ground and some first earlies (Orla) but I am sure they are more prone to slug damage now.

My problem is I'm not sure how to store them when i lift them. Last year I put them in hessian sacks and they rotted or sprouted. I know they are supposed to be stored in the dark in cool places, but I have limited cool places which will get too cold in 2 or 3 months and my dark places are not cold. ::) ::) ::)

[calendula]

you don't really want to be storing first and second earlies - they are for eating now - but maincrops will store for quite a long time

[grawrc]

I'm not thinking of long term storage just keeping them from going green before we eat them?

[saddad]

Then the Hessian should do the job.. I leave them in sacks in the outside toilet... brick and slate job.. works well untill about March when the sprouting wins!
Some do go rotten but it is worth tipping them out after a month or so to remove any that are going before they infect their neighbours...
;D

[Roy Bham UK]

I store mine in potato bags scrounged from our local greengrocers shop, does the biz 4 me ;D

[Rosyred]

How about salad potatoes (charlotte)  i'm leaving them in the ground and plants have died back good or bad?

[saddad]

Bad   after mid August the ground dwelling slugs get really active and peckish!
;D

[Rosyred]

they are coming out tomorrow then....

[grawrc]

Mine are there already: mean and lean ;D

[Svea]

i have storage issues too, and am storing potatoes in brown paper bags you get from shops sometimes (my nread comes in a big one, for instance). they are sturdy, let breathe but are dark. they are standing under the kitchen table - we have almost finished all the earlies (one portion left to eat) which i harvested about a month ago, they are fine though. after this, maybe on the weekend, i will start liting 1/3/ of my maincrop, probably starting with desiree or stemster, because i need the space for the leeks