Potato plants coming through - help needed

vfairbrass

We took over a derelict allotment (out of use for 18 months) in August and have been slowly removing masses of couch grass and deep digging.
One plot, which we thought we had cleared, we sowed with green manure which is coming through nicely.
What is also coming through are potato plants. I dug one up and found a small potato at the end. We had found small potatoes while digging the plot but thought we had removed them all - obviously not.
What should I do with these - are they viable - should I just remove them all?
Valerie

nodwah

why not leave them to grow until the foliage is cut down by the frost and then you might get enough small potatoes for a meal!
It's difficult to get rid of all the really tiny potatoes and I find I always get a few small plants growing through in the spring - there's a name for that, something like gift potatoes or something

Lord_Gardener

Leave them in your plot, I'm sure you'll get a few growing next year or harvest them for Christmas!!

tenuissent

We call them "volunteers" round here. They're a nuisance if they come up among your beans etc, but if you're only sowing green manure I'd leave them and see what you get.

mumoftwins

Hi everyone,

I have just found a potato in my vegetable box which is starting to sprout, so I have put it in a large tub of compost and watered it - how likely is it that I will get any crop from this?

Has anyone tried this before?

kazwookie

My main crop are now coming up, so with any luck you will.

mumoftwins

kazwookie wrote: »

My main crop are now coming up, so with any luck you will.

Hi Kaz,

Thanks for that. Have you planted yours like I have? Also, when I have lifted any new ones do they still keep coming?

Kaz2904

If you've put it in the bottom of the tub with only a little soil then you need to keep earthing it up when the green bits appear. You'll get a bigger crop this way, though I don't know if it will be a bigger or faster crop than by putting the spuds in the top of the bucket- maybe someone else will know?

arkonite_babe

We have a thread similar to this already, I'll add your query to it so all the replies are together. Posts are listed in date order so you'll need to read from the beginning to catch up