Hi Tui, if my potato crop has a lot of leafy green growth that is 2 foot high does that mean the crop will be small and less potatoes? Thanks.

Hi Andrea, your potato crop looks great. If plants are fed too much nitrogen rich fertiliser or planted in compost, then yes, there will be more leaf. I wouldn't be too concerned at this stage as long as the plants are getting regular watering and are fed every 4-6 weeks using a balanced fertiliser such as Tui Potato food which is rich in phosphorus for a bumper crop of potatoes. Continue mounding to support the plants, as potatoes grow off the roots that form off the main stem rather from the roots below, the more mounding, the more potatoes you will get. Continue mounding until the mound is approximately 30cm high.  To see how your potatoes are going, you can do what is called bandicooting which is digging from the side under the plant to feel for how your crop is going. If you have grown an early crop then they will be ready in about 90 days from planting, if it is a main crop then they will be ready in 100-120 days once the foliage dies down. The Tui Team.