The Not So Small New Potatoes.

Yesterday [30 th June 2016]  I decided to investigate and take a look at what stage my potatoes were at.
 Not surprisingly the main crop ones were only just showing signs of flowers developing. However, the earlier ones had changed in appearance and were looking like they were at the stage when I usually think about harvesting some of them. The green tops were beginning to /or had died back on the ones I had  planted first. So, I went to the shed got out the tools and test dug up one of the plants. Even though I had seen no sign of flowers on these two rows,  the potatoes that came up were definitely ready to use, they were a good size and healthy looking potatoes. So in a year when the weather has been unusual and difficult to predict the potatoes seem to have not only survived but thrived. Just in case the slugs that are flourishing in the wet weather decide to eat my potatoes before I can,  I dug up as many potatoes as I could carry to take home.

Good start to July home grown new potatoes are now on the menu.

New Potatoes - the first meal with this years grow your own new potatoes!

I love that the first time you sit down to a meal that has your very own grown new potatoes on the plate. They nestled beautifully next to a salad of mixed salad leaves that were also freshly harvested from the allotment only an hour earlier. Now I just need the tomatoes to start producing and the own grown salad season will be in full swing. Does that not make the effort of watering them in the dry spells and planting them when you have not really got time worth while?  - Yes it certainly does - nothing tastes like a newly unearthed new potato with freshly picked salad.

Not sure how to tell if your new potatoes are ready? Want the best way to harvest few of your new potatoes at a time? I have a HubPages article on this here is the link.

New-Potatoes. How to harvest your new potatoes.

BTW - the method of removing a few potatoes from the plant without digging it up is called furtling.