Spuds left in ground for months due to harvesting error , safe to eat now ?

Hi there ,

I tried to plant spuds last summer .

Everything seemed to be going well , the leaves sprouted and I was under the understanding that once they flower and the flowers die that it was time to harvest.

Unfortunately something happened at this stage , the leaves wilted and turned brown and died off.

I assumed it was either blight or that they had not recovered from a 10 day holiday I took during which time they weren't watered.

Anyway today I find myself rooting around in the garden and pulling what I think are weeds when down in the soil attached to these "weeds" I find potatoes almost the size of melons .

So the crop didn't actually fail then ? or did it fail but these are a new growth ?

Most importantly are these potatoes safe to eat that have been lying in the soil for about 8 months?

A few things I d love to know ; what happens if I just leave them in the soil and harvest as I need ? will they soon go off , would it be better to harvest them all now but leave just a few back in to continue for next season ?

How long do you reckon they will keep once out of the ground ?

if chop off the sprouting bits and replant will this mean these bits will grow another harvest ?

Thanks I am very delighted with these spuds I thought It was a failed crop but I must have been following guidelines for a different type of spud and assumed they had died and never harvested. Its like failing an exam but getting a pass on the recheck!

Thanks for reading

 

You can eat them, just try a few and see what they taste like, might be slightly tainted flavour wise.
I'd get them all out now, even the tiny ones as they become a weed nuisance growing amongst the next crop.
They are already shooting so wont keep long out of the ground this late.

Best to get some new seed for this year and plant somewhere different if you can.

 

I suspect I have some similar to this. between the bad winter and my illness not been at digging etc.

 

NB. When the leaves on potato plants die down like that it means the potatoes are ready to dig up. Not necessarily immediately but ready. All perfectly normal and healthy