Need a potato education

[myfedora]

My sister says that you can only plant garlic in the fall. Is this true?

 

[smiley_face2]

Kale, I'd love to see more pics of your garden...I remember when you just got the place and all the things you were doing and had plans for

 

[Kale]

Hi Mainegal!
*LOL I was pressed for time... but if you want to try garlic gloves..have fun*LOL
Wasn't worth the effort...
They take a long time to crystallize*LOL Keep turning; low heat*lol
Take a sponge to the kitchen appliances while you wait*lol

I took away the line and now grow Cloves *LOL
You are funny!


Kale

 

[Gloria]

My sister says that you can only plant garlic in the fall. Is this true?

I don't know about your zone Dawn, but in my zone (8) I would have planted them when I planted onion sets. That was sometime around the first part of March.

 

[Kale]

Yes, garlic is to be planted in the fall but...you can still plant now.
Your garlic may just give you a pretty interesting flower and not grow the cloves,but then again it may. I leave mine in and they grow each year like a perennial. I don't grow it to eat it, I grow to keep mosquitoes away and the green stems are tastie. If I grew them to eat, Hubby will make me grow 1million garlics...a year worth*lol
He thought he wanted to eat purslane*LOL Years to rid my life from it!
He also liked the Wild buckwheat vine...Still pulling baby seedlings out, just today I got a bunch out....No..I already have a long list to grow... for him.*lol

Kale

 

[smiley_face2]

Kale...sounds like hubby needs to do some weeding!!

 

[Kale]

Kale...sounds like hubby needs to do some weeding!!

*LOL I gave him (nearly) a wheelbarrow full (that was 5.5 cubit feet!) of purslane for him to eat *lol
I told him to have fun getting the dirt off*lol
He said Don't have time now.
So I composted it *LOL Never whispered another word about it *lol I guess he suddenly became unmotivated to eat it *lol
He is funny







naaaa...I wanted to burn it*lol I bagged and threw it away ...continually!!!
One year, he bought me (a flat of 48) plants for my hourz long weekz that turned into yearz of labor*lol
I got 3roses this year and a lilac last..
And all if gone as far as I can tell this year so far!
Wild Buckwheat..still here.

Kale

 

[Kale]

That was a great website for folks that haven't planted potatoes before. Don't plant the potatoes too deep. Good luck and keep us posted on how well the potatoes do.

What do you mean by planting too deep?
Just curious..

Kale

 

[myfedora]

Got a stupid question. When you cut the eyes of the potato out before you plant, Do you put the eye up or down when you plant them? I know a lot of you laughing but I don't know.

 

[smiley_face2]

Got a stupid question. When you cut the eyes of the potato out before you plant, Do you put the eye up or down when you plant them? I know a lot of you laughing but I don't know.

not stupid at all!! I plated the whole little potatoe, with the most number of little shoots sticking up. Well today, I see each little shoot off the potatoe is growing roots right out of where it meets the potatoe! I had no idea.... so... I still don't know which way to plant them! lol...

 

[Dale]

Kale, if you plant the potatoes too deep the potato will not sprout. Too deep will be over 2 1/2 inches deep and make sure the eye is pointing upwards.

 

[Kya D]

This is all such great info.

 

[Gloria]

Got a stupid question. When you cut the eyes of the potato out before you plant, Do you put the eye up or down when you plant them? I know a lot of you laughing but I don't know.

Sorrrryyy, I couldn't help but laugh! Good question thou, glad you asked Dawn.
Ok, here's a pic. This tator doesn't have good eyes (buds) but we'll pretend!! Just the way you see this hunk of potato ...is the way you put it in the ground..or pot. It acually has tiny little eyes and this is how I cut them. I like to cover them with about 2 to 2 1/2 inches of soil as Dale said.


I lost my picture..I'll go back and try and find it!!

 

[Gloria]

Here it is...

 

[myfedora]

Thank you Dale and Gloria! I wanted to plant them this weekend and didn't want to do it wrong.

 

[Dale]

Cut the potatoes and let them cure for a day or so before planting. That will help cut down on the chance of the potato rotting instead of sprouting. Good luck!!! We are always glad to help.

 

[Kale]

Kale, if you plant the potatoes too deep the potato will not sprout. Too deep will be over 2 1/2 inches deep and make sure the eye is pointing upwards.

Humm..I have never thought of that; how deep or position, I guess the ones I placed were cut in a way that the sprout was up,and they grew. *lol Maybe I would of had a bigger harvest..
My very first planted sprouts, started 2feet to the bottom of a box.I use that box to sprout them year after year*lol hummmm.
I don't understand, because potatoes drop their babies and if you only have 2 1/2 inches where are the babies taters going to go? Another thought is they can not bask in the sun, if they turn green it will become toxic with solanine. What if the rain washes the soil away,you are left bare tater up in the sun*lol?
I had to dig about a foot may-be more to gather my taters.When In the raised bed...(that was sweet potato...is there a difference)) Or are you talking all potatoes?


Here is what wikipedia says.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanine has to say about it.

Interesting...


Kale

 

[Dale]

My husband said that you normally plant sweet potatoes in a bed and then break off the plants to plant. He said you can plant the whole sweet potato and put about an 1 to 1 1/2 inches of dirt on top of the potato. Hope this helps, that's the way his family always did it when he was growing up on the farm. If you are interested in learning how to get the plants off the sweet potatoes, I can get him to give me some more detailed info.

 

[smiley_face2]

Humm..I have never thought of that; how deep or position, I guess the ones I placed were cut in a way that the sprout was up,and they grew. *lol Maybe I would of had a bigger harvest..
My very first planted sprouts, started 2feet to the bottom of a box.I use that box to sprout them year after year*lol hummmm.
I don't understand, because potatoes drop their babies and if you only have 2 1/2 inches where are the babies taters going to go? Another thought is they can not bask in the sun, if they turn green it will become toxic with solanine. What if the rain washes the soil away,you are left bare tater up in the sun*lol?
I had to dig about a foot may-be more to gather my taters.When In the raised bed...(that was sweet potato...is there a difference)) Or are you talking all potatoes?


Here is what wikipedia says.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanine has to say about it.

Interesting...


Kale

The trick is Kale, to start them off in the 2inches of soil, then as they come up through the dirt to about 6 inches high, you mound dirt or sawdust or whatever around them right to the top. They grow up another 6 inches or so, you add more dirt or whatever to almost cover them again. You can keep doing this for a good 3 or 4 feet. then you let them grow up till they blossom etc. If you plant them 2 feet deep to begin with, you are just taking a chance they won't make it all the way to the top and they may just rot.

 

[Randy]

The eye gets planted up. When I cut my potatoes for planting, I like to have two or three eyes on each segment, but that may not really make any difference, just insurance.