Lifting potatoes

[Primrose]

My 4 rows of potatos - 2 rows Rocket and 2 rows Charlotte - are all flowering.
When can I start digging !!

[green fingers]

Good question Primrose. My hubby insists you have to leave them until the stems are dead but Alan Titchmarsh say's you can start to harvest as early as when the flowers appear. I think it's down to how you prefer them to taste.

I will be watching with interest as my spuds have flowers too.

[Lesley Jay]

Leave them at least 13 weeks from planting as Rocket is a first early variety and the Charlotte a second early variety. The earlier you lift them and the smaller the potatoes will be.

[malcolmx]

you can harvest potatoes at any time when the tubers have reached the size you require always remove flowers as these will set fruits and divert energy from tubers to the fruit .
often you will find leaves die back because of blight (damp conditions ) tubers are still edible
if you wish you can safe guard by spraying now with Bordeaux mixture
if you do spray pots and toms and you are not organic you can combine Bordeaux aphid control and liquid feed all in one spray

[Eggygirl]

I have always left mine until the leaves and stems have died back and I have always had a lovely crop of potatoes with loads of flavour

[Peter Pie Eater]

I too would say to leave them until the stems have died off.

However, I think there's merit to the idea of pinching off the flowwers. I think I will do that to my potatoes as soon as daylight breaks

[Lesley Jay]

I always leave main crop potatoes until the haulms have completely died down but with first early potatoes I leave them 13 weeks from planting and then start lifting them. The earlier you lift them and the smaller the potatoes will be, so really it depends on what size potatoes you want. Remember though that first earlies don't store so I lift them as needed for meals.

[Mopsy]

Best thing to do is gently dig down around one plant and find a spud or 2, if they're the size you want them to be you can dig up some more. If not, leave them another week or so & try again