Need a potato education

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smiley_face2

Active Member
Well here's the update so far. We cut off the top foot so it's about 3 and a half feet high. drilled holes in the bottom and covered with window screen. put in about 6 inches of good composted soil along with some of the time release fertiliser supposed to be good for 4 months. then we added some alder sawdust and mixed it into the top bit of soil and put the potatoe starts in, 6 of them altogether. they had sprouted about 2 inches already, so we went ahead and covered them with more sawdust and gave them a light water with warmish water. Then we covered the top with heavy duty clear plastic held on with a strap of some sort hubby had. This morning I checked and they had already come up through the sawdust!! We had sun today so we removed the plastic so they could get some direct sun on them. We are going to let them grow to about 6 inches and get some good leaves before we mulch again. We covered with plastic because we are still getting some cold rains and don't want them to rot or anything. It's not the lovliest thing in my garden to look at but if it works I'll be happy to let it stay! :)
 

Gloria

Super Moderator
Staff member
White tators

Here's a pic of my row of potatoes. I didn't wait for the cuts to dry before planting..doesn't seem to make a difference!! I cut the eyes from the potatoes and they went straight to the garden.
I know the row is not straight..hubby has bad balance and the tiller goes where he pushes it!!:D
 

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Gloria

Super Moderator
Staff member
Yep. just cut a thick slice where you find an "eye" or sprout on a potato. You can get 3 or 4 plants from one tator!
 

smiley_face2

Active Member
hmmm well next year I will buy the smaller package of seed potatoes and cut them!
myfedora.... the potatoe sends out the things that each grow a potatoe on them, don't know if they are a root or what.... from the main stem. as the plant grows about 6 inches above the soil and gets leaves, you can "hill" them by mounding dirt, or even sawdust or straw around the stem to just below the leaves. The plant will then grow taller and you do it again. You can keep this going for about 2 feet or so, and that gives the main plant that much more length to send out the thingy's that will produce potatoes! That's why we are growing ours in a huge barrell, it's just easier to pile dirt or whatever around the plants that way. you can also dig a trench in the ground and plant the potatoes in the bottom, then keep putting in more soil or straw as they grow, but then you'll have to dig the potatoes up out of the trench come harvest time. We don't have that much open ground to do that where we live, unlike Gloria who is going to have a huge potatoe crop!! :)
 

Gloria

Super Moderator
Staff member
LOL..you're right Janet! I do have a lot of hills to make in time..if I want to. You don't neccessarily need to hill potatoes but they will produce much more if you do.
Some folks plant and add old car tires over the plant. As the plant grows a tire is added and filled in with soil. As the plant withers down in it's final stage, tires are removed one by one to gather the tators.
 

smiley_face2

Active Member
Gloria, do you fertilise them at all? Also, I've read you should remove the plant when it has withered then leave the spuds in the ground for a couple of weeks to "cure" so they keep better. Do you do this?
 

lynpenny

Super Moderator
Staff member
I always got hungry for the potatoes to grow that I would rob a few small ones out to eat. It does cut into your crop when you do that. But you can't do that untill after they have bloomed. My favorite pototoe to grow was the yukon gold. I don't have enough room to do them anymore and I can't eat them any more but we had fun growing them.
 

Dale

Super Moderator
Staff member
janet I am not Gloria but we dig the potatoes based on the sign of the day in the almanac. I will have to look up the sign you dig underground veggies. We often leave the potatoes in the ground until we are ready to eat them.

We plant our garden by the signs as well. My husband even gets his hair cut on the decrease of the moon. He really believes your hair grows faster when get a hair cut on the growing of the moon.
 

Gloria

Super Moderator
Staff member
I use the almanac too and Dale knows her stuff! Smiley, we use 5-10-10 fertilizer for our gardens.
Lynn, I'm also guilty of robbing a few tators before their time..hehe. There's nothing better than a beef roast cooked with new potatoes and onions.

My Dad would plant rows of potatoes and when he dug them, he made a potato bank to store them for long periods of time. This was done for both white potatoes and sweet potatoes. It was constructed of long sticks put together as a short teepee. Pine straw covered that and then dirt covering the straw. There was a space left open which he covered with a make shift door for sticking a rake in and pulling out potatoes when needed. It was a dark, cool place to store bushels of tators.
 

Dale

Super Moderator
Staff member
With our soil we have always used 10-10-10 but that is our preference with our soil. We love to rob potatoes from the hill with our hands careful not to disturb the potato hill to keep growing. Boy wouldn't a pot of new potatoes be good for lunch. I love to put potatoes in the pot along with string beans. Even canned string beans tasted more like fresh when you put potatoes in the pot as well. You can tell I am hungry this morning.

Note: The components for complete fertilizer is Nitrogen (N) Phosperous (P) and Potassium (K). With using 10-10-10 we use more Nitrogen than 5-10-10 but we ultimately use less fertilizer since we are using equal parts each of N P and K. Just my thoughts.
Hhehehehe
 
K

Kale

Guest
I have grown potatoes :)
I started when I discovered I had potatoes in my potato box that were sprouting.I cut the sprouts off with a little meat of the potato left on and put them in a box outside with some hay and they grew. I just added more hay/straw whatever it was...the one without the seed *LOL untill fall.
Better success rate with soil as a started (home compost) on the bottom,then add hay.
You can cut them down and save energy,thus more potatoes come harvest time.You never ever want the potato to see the sun.
I also grew in a raised bed which was a job to get out but fun..they were sweet potatoes that I started with a potato that I grew indoors using the water and jar method. Anyone remember my batatas!?? It believe it was either Ron or Randy that told me what they were years ago.They were so smooth and creamy
So.. I grow in a box.Even cardboard boxes work,easy flip and harvest.
Tried the net, tires,direct in ground...
I grew/grow Mi Reds, yams, sweet potatoes, batatas, and a few whites.Only store bought and cause them to sprout.
I don't add nitrogen or anything else.

WARNING>>>>
Do not eat the balls (look a little like tomatoes) that may grow on the top of the potato plant!!!!!!!!!

Kale:)
 

smiley_face2

Active Member
this is awesome!! Thankyou so much for all your tips! I got the fertiliser part right, and I know our soil is a wee bit on the acid side which I've also read they like. Kale, I like the idea of a cardboard box! I have a white russet and a couple of red spuds that have sprouted in the bags, I may just have to plant them in some cardboard boxes, just to have a batch of new potatoes to eat sooner!! Honest to goodness, I can't tell you how good it is to be getting at least some of my health back and to feel that itch to garden and have the actual strength to get out and do it!! :) :)
 
K

Kale

Guest
:D:D:D Great for you Smiley_face!:D
Cardboard boxes work and so does this...
I have used it for years! This year (a few days ago*lol) took the bottom out and moved it to fit in my driveway design.*lol

Have fun!
I buy potatoes that look good and have tiny sprouts on them or you can just keep them in the bag indoors ,dry and nearly dark room temps and the sprouts will take off.
Onions work that way too ,only,they use light.I just keep them in my hanging basket in the DR and let them grow a bit, cut the sprouting part off and plant*lol
If you let them (onions) flower you will get pretty blooms! Some may be perennials.
Oh...Garlic gloves will grow too!
 

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Mainegal

Super Moderator
Staff member
:D:D:D Great for you Smiley_face!:D
Cardboard boxes work and so does this...
I have used it for years! This year (a few days ago*lol) took the bottom out and moved it to fit in my driveway design.*lol

Have fun!
I buy potatoes that look good and have tiny sprouts on them or you can just keep them in the bag indoors ,dry and nearly dark room temps and the sprouts will take off.
Onions work that way too ,only,they use light.I just keep them in my hanging basket in the DR and let them grow a bit, cut the sprouting part off and plant*lol
If you let them (onions) flower you will get pretty blooms! Some may be perennials.
Oh...Garlic gloves will grow too!

I just have to be a wise guy... Garlic Gloves Kale???? :eek::D
they must be pretty tough to use in cooking...lol
 


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