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Potatoes a bit iffy.

josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
edited July 2020 in Fruit & veg
Last year I grew Pink Fir Apple for the first time, they were fine, and I kept some back to plant this year.  I planted them in three crates lined with cardboard and filled with garden soil.  When I emptied the first crate, about a month ago, there weren't many tubers, they were rather small, and two distinctly different types.  Half of them had smooth, pink, baby-like skin, and they were fine.  The rest of them were brown with a rough surface.  They went in the pan together, but the brown ones came out half raw.

Yesterday I emptied the second crate, a much better yield as you'd expect, but still the two different types, and what I find odd, none that look intermediate.  I'm going to try boiling the brown ones by themselves and see if they're all right after longer cooking.  In the meantime, can anyone shed light on why they are so different?  The two types are alike in size and shape.

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    It could be scab, especially as you saved tubers from last year.  A bad scab infection will cover the whole surface of the potato:

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    Thank you Bob!  Mine don't look exactly like the photograph, but I think you must be right.  Our soil is slightly alkaline, and we had that long dry spell.  I did water them but probably not enough.  Also, being above ground they'll have dried out quickly after watering.  The article doesn't say if they are safe to eat; do you happen to know?
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Yes, they are safe to eat but often have 'hard' bits after cooking, as you have found.  I would use fresh seed potatoes next year rather than saved ones, which should lessen the chances of it happening again a great deal.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    OK, I'm just cooking the pretty pink ones for tonight, I think I'll bin the scuzzy ones.  And buy new seed potatoes next time.  And not compost the haulm.  The article says the bacteria can live in the soil for years, and other food plants can be affected, so I'm going to bag the soil and keep it for non-edibles.

    As a friend of mine used to say:  "We learn by our mistakes, so let's make as many as we can!"
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    That is so true and I'm still making them, so must still be learning!  :D
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    How many of the brown ones were there? often the seed potatoes are still there still hard and "good" but brown, I'm finding about 50% of my seed potatoes are still there when digging the potatoes right now. they feel firm but are brown and slightly rough.
    We have scab, there really is no way to avoid it, last year was the first time potatoes have been grown on this land in at least 20 years and we used only certified seed potatoes. however we have highly alkaline soil (solid chalk at 40cm) scab doesn't affect the flesh of the potato as you describe it just makes them look unsightly.
    My final comment is that if you have scab then ALL of the potatoes will show at least a little, certainly if some are bad enough to be all brown.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    To complete the story:  I've just emptied the third and last box, much better.  Lots of yummy little pinkies and only a handful of scabby ones.  I went through the soil a trowelful at a time to make sure there are none left behind, and it's bagged up to be used for potting. I have also reported the bad news to a friend who had some of the seed potatoes off me.  I'd forgotten about this, until his wife emailed me a photograph to show me how well they're growing!  And they are in the ground, so it will be more difficult for him to contain the infection.  Though he might have escaped it, as his soil is more acid than mine.
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