Quote:Are these just baby potatoes that will grow on to larger size, or are these small potatoes a special variety? A: It depends on the variety. I have started digging up my potatoes to have new potatoes, and many of them would get larger if left in the ground. Many fingerlings are small when full grown. Just like tomatoes; different varieties will reach a different size when fully mature, its hard to answer the question without knowing what size they were when you bought them, and what kind they were. Quote:Can I just buy potatoes, cut them up leaving an "eye" on each piece and plant or do I need to buy "seed" potatoes? A: Yes, but...seed potatoes are certified to be disease free, and in some areas of the country this is a serious concern. I have always bought certified potatoes, the little more you pay for them is worth the peace of mind that you are not introducing disease into your garden plot. Also most potatoes bought in the store are treated with an inhibiter to keep them from sprouting, it doesn't always work, but could cause them not to grow properly. Quote: When is best to plant (zone 6, just north of Boston) and can you plant a second crop mid-season for fall? A: Potatoes can go in the ground as soon as the soil can be worked. Quote: Finally, which ones would you recommend as the best tasting? A: There are many varieties of spuds. I am growing 13 varieties this year. Yukon Gold has always been my perennial favorite for an all purpose spud. I just dug some Yellow Finn yesterday, and boy were they good boiled and tossed with butter. The All Blue you talk about is a larger (think baking size) potato and is more purple than blue. It keeps its color when cooked, but I have found that it takes longer to cook than other potatoes, so you can't mix it with other varieties in a roasting pan. I have Superior, Red Norland, Pontiac, Russett Burbank, Yukon Gold, Kerr's Pink, All Blue, Yellow Finn, Rose Finn Apple, Caribe, German Butter, Kennebec & Purple Peruvian Check out Moose Tubers (Fedco) or Seed Savers for a list of some of the potato varieties available.

To store, dry the outsides well and store in a cool dark place, but I'd eat them (wash, boil, brown in butter - yummy) and buy certified, disease free seed potatoes to plant next spring.

Zone SS 23-24, CA. I can't answer your question - but it sounds reasonable enough. The vines seem to put out roots very easily. However, as long as you probably harvested them, I'd put a few into jars (toothpick method) anyway, just to be sure. The vines seem to like putting down new roots all along the long stems, so why not see how many rootlets you can salvage too. I dug quite a few of mine today, and was pleasantly surprised. I didn't pull the vines completely, because they are perennial here - so they tell me. I plan to see how long I can continue to dig a few at a time, while allowing the vines to keep on producing. This is my first experience with them, and I really like the idea. The tubers are now curing on the back porch, along with a couple of Hubbard squashes, as they tell me curing makes them taste better. Bejay

If you want a compact sweet potato, Amish Bush Porto Rico does pretty well. It is a variant of the old Porto Rico. My personal favorite is Bradshaw aka Mahon. It is a a very good general purpose sweet potato that produces a good crop even in short season areas. Most important, they are much better flavored and have better texture than Georgia Jet. I've also had very good results with Covington which is a recent release that produces much higher quality sweet potatoes than industry standards like Beauregard. Sandhill's business is first come first serve. This is why it is important to order early. It is not a matter of being on a waiting list, you will be on a waiting list if you order from virtually any sweet potato supplier. Get your order in early and Sandhill will almost always ship slips in a 2 week window timed for your location. Mahon is also available from Johnny's this year so if you are ordering from them, consider getting sweet potato plants too.