POTATOES UNDER STRAW/LEAVES #4

Oh I forgot to mention what I use to kill fireants in my garden, I actually sprinkle some grits and the ants digest the grits and die, it has worked for me plus it is completely organic.

And, you can put that gumbo pot of boiling water on 'em.

Yes Linda I have also heard of boiling water as well, expecially for cabbage worms and such.

John, don't feel bad. Mine tanked too. I blame the fireants. I got a couple of marble sized taters and that was it. I'm going to try Linda's method come fall.

I didn't start out as part of your potato group, but I found this thread last month. Someone told me potatoes were good for breaking up dense soil, so I tested out a patch. I put 10 little seed potatoes (Yukon Gold) on top of my heavy clay dirt and covered them with around 3 inches of fall leaves (this was late March, I think?). They took *forever* to sprout. I planted Jerusalem artichokes at the same time, and they were probably a foot high by the time I saw any potato leaves.

But once they started, they shot up like rockets and got really thin and leggy. I added a couple more inches of dirt and composted wood chips -- probably almost a month ago. The plants started flowering, then flopping over, then a bunch of them started rotting from the tips down, so I dug them all up today.

Each plant had two or three potatoes; I think maybe one had four. A couple of plants (the ones with multiple stems) had a ton of tiny pea- or marble-sized potatoes starting in the new mulch layer. If they could have held out longer, my harvest would have been awesome. As it was, all I had was enough for a pot of leek & potato soup.

I enjoyed reading the details of your experience Loligo, very interesting. Congrats on your harvest, btw.

Am I the last one here with potatoes still underground? As of today, my Purple Vikings are 134 days from the February 14th plantout.

Yesterday, I saw that my vines had died waaaaaaaaay back, and there were clusters of ants on the tips of every one of the branches. I'm sure that can not be a good thing, so I'd better uncover what's there, and soon!

It's brightly overcast this evening, so, today may be the day!

I'll post pics.

Linda

BTW, who else grew Purple Vikings?

I grew Purple Majesty and they flopped - just a few tiny tiny taters;o( I still have my Yukon Golds in the ground and the vines are still somewhat green, sssoooooooooooo - gonna wait and see what happens. I really don't need that space for anything right now so just gonna wait and see...

Linda, mine are still growing and green. I planted them on April 5th. This is the first time in years I've tried potatoes so I have no idea what I'm doing or what to expect!

I have Yukon golds that are still in the ground....The vines are dying back.... I guess I will try to dig them up today or tomorrow to see what I have.. I also haven't planted potatoes in years... should be interesting!!!!!

When did you plant yours, Nini?

I planted Purple Vikings, Linda! I pulled mine way long time ago, but mainly because the tops looked horrid and it looked like ants were getting them.

I planted mine around the first of April like you did greenhouse_gal. I went out this evening and dug the potatoes out of the first barrel. Have attached a picture of the potatoes I dug up this evening. Have one more barrel to go tomorrow. The tops had started to die back so I decided to start digging. I put a timer in with the potatoes to give you some prospective as to their size. Had them for dinner tonight... Yummmmy {:

Nice harvest nini!

That's a nice harvest nini, it seems you only got a few marble size ones and the rest are a nice size, good for you!

So you didn't get flowers? I haven't. But my tops aren't starting to die back yet, either. I have no idea when I should go digging! You do have a nice bunch of potatoes; I'll bet they were delicious!

Greenhouse_gal, I actually did not get any flowers on my yucon golds either, I just waited for the plants to die back before I started digging mine.

Greenhouse_gal... I did not get any flowers on my potatoes this year. I planted Yukon Gold and started digging them when they started dying back. Hope that helps.

Well, once again I sat in the driveway with a gulley washer. No digging today. At least the ants got washed away, hopefully.

Ya'll don't forget to post your next steps on our Zone 8-9 fall/Winter 2010 thread in the vegetable growers forum so we can continue growing together next season. I posted a link in the Beginners forum, too. So, some of the newbies may join our journey.

Linda

Carminator and Nini, thanks for the tip. One of my potato plants is dying back; the rest are still green. I guess I should leave them until they all die back? They are French Fingerlings, if that makes any difference.

For what I have read fingerlings do take a little bit longer than other potatoes, they are long period ones if that makes sense.

No, but I'll take your word for it! I think I remember reading that they take 90 to 110 days. So we're just getting close to 90 now.

Greenhouse gal, I think you're supposed to wait about two weeks after the vines die back. I put mine in the same week you did. My blooms are fading, but the plants are still green.

I planted mostly midseason (80-100 days) potatoes, so they should be ready now, or soon, if I count back to when I put them in the ground. But if I count back to when the plants actually appeared above the soil, I need to add another 2-3 weeks. It's probably less about my impatient counting :o) though and more about them being ready when they're ready.

I never even got blooms, DividedSky! But thanks for the tip - I'll wait.

Some of mine bloomed more heavily than others, and I planted 4 varieties. I got the most prolific flowers from a pink fingerling called Blossom. Aptly named, I guess. That's interesting that some aren't blooming. I hope you still get a good harvest.

It seems like some people have without the blossoms.

They don't always bloom...

Hi-

My potatoes have never blossomed, and I'm pretty sure they never will. However, I am eating the most beautiful potatoes I've ever seen. for some reason, these potatoes make me SO proud to be a gardener!

The leaves of all plants are curling in on themselves. Does this just indicate that they are done for the year, or is there a watering problems perhaps?

Happygirl I would stick my hand or finger an inch down the dirt to make sure the potato plants are moist enough, it could very well be lack of water problem.

Methinks they are done! Someone said earlier in this thread, some potato plants seem to just not flower. The instructions I have seen with details about how to prepare to harvest potatoes says to withhold water the when you are getting ready to harvest, unfortunately, I don't remember if it was for a number of days or number of weeks.. Makes harvesting easier, brush off dirt instead of scrubbing off mud. Hope this is at least somewhat helpful.

I've read that too, and I think it just means to withhold water only right before you harvest so that you aren't digging around in the mud.

Congrats, happygirl!

Success!!! Went poking around under one of my potato plants and found my first 2 potatoes of the year which I promptly ate at dinner. YUM!! I'd forgotten from last year how absolutely delicious home grown new potatoes are!!

Congratulations! Yes once you start you are hooked for life. I just finished all mine I guess I'll have to grow some more.

Uh, Tyro gets "dinged" for eating the evidence, and not posting pics, first!

I was on the parking lot of my job this morning, a few feet from safe parking, when a total stranger zooming across the lot, broadsided my car. It's most likely gonna be totaled by the insurance company.

Did I mention my temporary living arrangement is 29 miles from my job?

But! My cabbage seedlings are looking perky this morning!

One more.

OMG Linda I am so happy you are O.K, was your car parked or were you inside the car when it happened? What about the stranger what happened to him/her?

The insurance company will have to provide you with a temporary car, that is what happened to me when my car had to be in the shop for repairs because somebody decided that red light meant GO.

How awful, Linda! I hope the insurance system works well in Texas! Our insurance would entitle us to a loaner while everything was being worked out. Good luck! At least you weren't hurt, right?

Wow Linda - when it rains it pours, huh? I'm very glad you are alright even if your car doesn't look so alright. Hoping you get a rental so you can get to work!

Hey, Guys!
God is soooooooooooooooooooo totally good and in charge of everything. I believe there are NO accidents in the world, so even this "meeting" was planned!

Here's the good part. I love driving late model vehicles with low mileage, paying cash, and having no note. My last two cars have been such. One was an 11 yr old Mercury Grand Marquis with 36K original miles on it. A little old lady drove it to church and back. I got it for 5k cash...drove it for 9 years and then gave it away...

My car above is a vintage 1992 Buick Riviera, with a 3.8 litre (high powered) racing engine. Had 38k miles on it and I drove away for $2800 cash. I've had the transmission rebuilt, and it has a new computer module in it and a brand new set of tires. Was just about to redo the interior...It now has 257k miles and my mechanic told me to start looking for another car. I had 1-2 years to go, and would have sold it at a profit...shoot!

Well, over the holiday weekend, I saw a 95' Mercury Grand Marquis for sale, parked near my house. I would've been driving THAT car today, except the owner was hedging on letting me take it to my mechanic for a thorough diagnostic before I gave him my $2450 cash. It has 130k miles on it. More than I'd like, but, there it was...Well, I called the deal off cause it was starting to get flakey...

And then this morning happened.

So I called ('cause the car was still for sale this morning...) again and arranged with the seller for my mechanic to come and perform the diagnostic where the car was. In the meanwhile, I went online to our credit union car sales site, and found a 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis with 46k original miles on it, for just a bit more, that I'm going to look at tomorrow.

I can put the insurance payout with what I would have paid for this one, and pay a $100/month carnote for a hot minute...The dealer's co-worker's 75-yr-old mother just turned the car in...'cause she got a new one...

Got tah love Him!

So, ya'll pray for me tonight, first, that I am a good steward of God's resources and, second, that I exercise good discernment in making this decision.

Hugs!