Potato growing tips
Don V Zone 5-6 Cleveland OH
6 years ago
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digdirt2
6 years agoRelated Discussions
potato growing tips? what forum?
Comments (8)There were quite a few postings on growing potato with straw mulch. However, it was never very successful for me. I can't say why - but it seemed whenever I packed the straw around the growing vines, they began to wither. Still unaware of the reason - (herbicide in straw - attraction to insects??). Anyway, I am trying a new approach that seems to be - at least keeping my plants thriving, but it is still a little too soon to predict the outcome - production-wise. I grow in cedar boxes - small amounts of many veggies which works well for my small family. So - I tried planting sprout potatoes by digging down into the box to the hardware cloth bottom that is stapled to the bottom of the box. I put the tuber there and covered with a small amount of composted soil. As the potato grew, I filled in the hole - until it was level with the top of the box. The plants look very lush and green but as yet, they haven't flowered, and I won't know the yield until then. They look healthy otherwise. Just my 2 c's. Bejay...See MoreCan sweet potatoes grow in straw like Irish potatoes?
Comments (2)A gardener who doesn't like playing in the dirt??? ;) Unfortunately root crops like potatoes, whether sweets or Irish, need to be dug out of the soil - even when those potatoes are grown in straw. All you need is a potato fork to dig them up with. Dave...See MoreGrowing Sweet potato in the potato bags
Comments (2)Likewise I have never planted sweet potatoes in a container or bags. But have seen pictures of those who have and they just let the vines spread out over them and down to the ground. And from the reports I've read they produce well. Production is very hard to predict. Weather conditions can cause production to change a lot. The same varieties I dug up to nine pounds in 010 from didn't produce a pound after the hail and the hot, droughty summer last year. And the one I planted in mid July produced several tubers but none as large as the one they were produced from. I would say the most I dug last season was around 5 pounds. The same variety that produced nine pounds the year before. So very hard to predict. And then again growing in a bag, container may affect production also. Jay...See MoreAny tips for fall potatoes?
Comments (6)Fungal spores can survive on any plant debris in the soil, so I'd keep a careful eye on the potato plants after they sprout and be ready to spray the plants at the very first sign of fungal disease. I have had mixed results with fall potatoes. Mine never have produced yields remotely close to what I get from spring potatoes. Fresh potatoes are wonderful, though, so I think that if you have the space, they are worth growing. Because seed potatoes that have been cut into pieces tend to rot in hot soil before they can sprout, I'd plant only whole seed potatoes. That likely will help you get a good stand. Planting deep will help, but it also means the plants will take longer to emerge from the ground and grow, unless you plant them in trenches and fill in the trenches as they grow. You probably could help the seed potatoes sprout more quickly and get off to a good start by temporarily shading the ground after you plant the seed potatoes. Long before I discovered and bought floating row cover or shade cloth, I used to shade fall beds just by putting a lawn chair at each corner of the bed and tying an old sheet to each chair so it could shade the ground until the plants began emerging. I've never really had pest issues with fall potatoes, and I consider that another good reason to grow a fall crop. Finally, harvest your fall potatoes before the soil temperature falls below 50 degrees. Potatoes harvested from soil temperatures below 50 degrees are more prone to bruise from being handled, and thus, they will not store as well....See Morehairmetal4ever
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoDon V Zone 5-6 Cleveland OH
6 years agodigdirt2
6 years agowar garden
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agowayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
6 years agoDon V Zone 5-6 Cleveland OH
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6 years agoLoneJack Zn 6a, KC
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6 years agowar garden
6 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years agoDon V Zone 5-6 Cleveland OH
6 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
6 years agowayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
6 years agoDon V Zone 5-6 Cleveland OH
6 years agofarmerdill
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6 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
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