potatotest

Hi friends,I want to tell you about a test I have start up with potatoes,what do you think will happens,I took sprouts from potatoes and pot them up in 8 cm pots and now they are 40 cm high with small potatoes in the pot now I have planted out and I have plant down 30 cm into the soil so only 10 cm is up into the air the question is will it be roots the whole way and in that case will it be potatoes on this roots? I use to plant tomatoes this way and those gets roots the whole way under the soil but toms has there fruits in the plant abow the soil ofcourse.

Roger

Roger, more than likely you will get potatoes, not roots. The potatoes grow on stolons that come off the main stalk, and those appear above the roots.

Sounds like you have a good experiment going. Hope you check back and let us know the results!

This year is my second try with potatoes. The first time I grew them I used those black plastic bins with the holes in the sides (Gardener's Supply?) and it was a disaster. I got lots of top growth but when it came time to harvest (or at least when I thought it was time) I found only a couple of potatoes in four bins. Major disappointment.

This year I have planted about 40 certified seed pototoes (or pieces with eyes) from Johnny's in the ground and I have lots of beautiful, healthy top growth, now more than a foot high. I hilled up about eight inches or so and am waiting hopefully. The first flowers appeared this last week and now most are in flower. No sight of any bugs or any disease whatsoever (although I think a deer munched one of my plants to the top of the hill this week).

So, what happens now? I keep reading about stealing early potatoes and digging the rest later, but I'm so nervous from my last failed try at this that I'm just nervously waiting and watching. What are the signs that it's time to dig?

Thanks in advance, experts.

Ivory, you can dig from the outside edge of your hills in to find your small 'new' potatoes. Use one of those small hand weeding tools. By digging carefully you can pick a few and still leave the plant and other potatoes to grow. My patch is big enough so I just dig up the entire plant and potatoes. You're in for a treat! Yummm!

I have a potato question too... My reds bloomed first, and now some of the plants that had bloomed seem to be wilting back. Is it the extreme heat and humidity we have had lately, or are the plants supposed to die back when the potatoes are ready? We have had a lot of rain, and they are mulched in over a foot of compacted hay, the tops of the plant range from 2-3 foot high...

Tamra pull some up they will taste great I dug about fifty pounds my vines are not dying back yet but they finished flowering three weeks ago. Ernie

i have a potatoe ?. will waiting for the tops to wilt make the taters you dig store better/longer?
i have red potatoes planted and have been enjoying 'new' potatoes and larger. should i dig them all now?
otterpotter

If your soil is not overly wet and you don't expect a hard freeze you can leave them in the ground I can't immagine your vines are not dead as a wedge did you plant them really late. Commerical potatoes are left in the ground for a long time after their vines are killed. At this time the skins harden off for storage. I have left potatoes in the ground into march but I have really light sandy loam that drains well and I pile dirt over them . There are dangers to this mice like potatoes and a hard freeze could turn them into mush but they store well there and last longer in storage if you leave them into mid to late nov to dig. I have heard that they continue to grow if you cut the vines off after the flowering is finished.Wasn't a spud farmer that told me this so like I said about that I have only heard. And yes mine are still in the ground and we dig them as we use or give them to others. Ernie

Roger how did your pot started potatoes come ouy? Ernie

This message was edited Sep 23, 2004 5:47 PM

thanks eweed/ernie,
we did get them in the ground a bit late, the deer ate most of the flowers, that did not seem to do any damage to spud production. as you know it has been wetter than usual, home gardening is wonderful, the neighbors enjoy our efforts too. enjoy
deidre

Deidra yw and yes Ernie or ernie or ern or whatever so long as it isn't late to dinner is better than Eweed


This message was edited Sep 24, 2004 2:15 PM