Potatoes

[wordwiz]

I'm pretty much a Kennebeck person, but the wife brought home a magazine today - Country Garden if anyone is interested - that had a section on potatoes. Something I found interesting was a couple of varieties that are colored inside and out. One is a blue potato, and they have one that is sort of red. Not just the skin, but the inside. Just for the fun of it, I think I will try these and maybe make a Patriotic Potato Salad this fall - red, white and blue. Or let my teenage daughter invite some friends over and fix them some blue French Fries. Then again, I could always enter one of them in the Freak of Nature category at the county fair!

Mike

[AKButch]

Never heard of Red and/or Blue potatoes with the pulp being colored also. Sounds pretty interesting tho. Wish it was possible but there is no way I could plant them up here and have any ready to dig even as new potatoes for some patriotic potato salad by the 4th. of July. Oh well . . . maybe next season.

[imaguitargod]

If you go to local farmer markets you'll be able to find these varieties for sale.

I've never tried them, but always have been tempted.

[Pam]

I've had the blue ones, and they taste like potatoes. I showed up at the folk's place with blue potatoes once, and it was fun. My father was always very suspicious of "different" food, but he finally tried one, and gave me this exasperated look " It tastes like a potato!"

Seed Savers has lots of fun varieties.

http://www.seedsavers.org/products.asp?dept=88

[Daisy7117]

Seeds of Change and The Cooks Garden have some nice varieties of potatoes.

[wordwiz]

Pam,

Thanks for the link. On a 2.5 pound blue potato order, they are $5.50 cheaper than what I had previously found.

Mike

[wordwiz]

Yesterday, two bags of potatoes arrived. I made two crude containers upstairs and sowed one red one and one blue one (each cut in half). The blue are supposed to take 110 days, the red 70 to mature. However, I plan on adding more dirt/straw/potting soil as they grow, with the hopes of a four-foot plant by July.

Mike

[wordwiz]

:onfire::onfire::onfire::onfire:
Yes, finally the potatoes have poked their heads through the dirt, one red and one blue. If the 110 days to maturity is correct, I have about 3 extra days. The thing is, if the plant is three foot tall in July, do I let it keep growing and see how many potatoes it will produce or start digging the bottom ones out?

I really am curious to see how many pounds of potatoes a 4.4 ounce seed potato can produce.

Mike

[AlabamaJack]

like you said, just start harvesting from the bottom if you can without disturbing the plant too much...

[imaguitargod]

do I let it keep growing and see how many potatoes it will produce or start digging the bottom ones out?
You do know you are supposed to mound dirt around the plant right? Just wasn't sure if you ment 3 feet uncovered or 3 feet covered...

If you ment covered, just feel around in the dirt and try not to disturb the plant too much. Then replace the moved dirt.

When Dave and I grew potatoes 3 and 4 years ago we just waited to the end of the season and harvested.............god they were good.......

[wordwiz]

IGG,

Three feet of dirt/straw/mulch. Once the plant has six inches of stalk/leaves showing, I'll add another three inches of mix.

I have about 14 more "seeds" of each blue and red potato so I may have several pound to sell.

Mike

[wordwiz]

Okay, who all planted potatoes today? I never really bought into the St. Patrick's Day theory but I did plant two - in tires. I'll let them keep growing and adding more tires and dirt until September. I hope I need a step ladder for the last couple of tires!

Mike

[Pam]

Okay, who all planted potatoes today? I never really bought into the St. Patrick's Day theory but I did plant two - in tires. I'll let them keep growing and adding more tires and dirt until September. I hope I need a step ladder for the last couple of tires!

Mike



What's the Saint Patrick's Day theory? Something about him blessing the potatoes?

[wordwiz]

Pam,

I don't have a clue why one is supposed to plant potatoes on March 17 - an old husband's tale? I had a few minutes to spare today so thought I might as well try.

Mike

[Pam]

Maybe it's a timing thing, but that seems like it would regional. Which may be why I've never heard it. I was always told to plant nasturtiums on Valentine's Day. It's too hot around here for them to do well in the summer, and that way they bloom in the early spring. It works here, but further north it would be disastrous.

[wordwiz]

One spud finally has grown enough for me to add dirt. It was about six inches tall before, now there's only a couple of inches of leaves showing.

Mike
http://www.valleycat.net/taterbefore.jpg

http://www.valleycat.net/taterafter.jpg

[Pam]

Is this one of the container potatoes?

It's certainly nice and bushy looking.

[wordwiz]

Pam,

Yes. It is on of those blue potatoes I got. It ook quite a while to sprout but has been growing decently since then. Originally, the whole potato was 4.2 ounces but I cut it in half and planted them on January 31. The one shown sprouted March 12.

Mike

Edit: Here's some pictures taken while I was building it. (The peppers are much larger now!)

http://www.valleycat.net/garden/page2.html

[wordwiz]

The above plant (after adding dirt) is now about five inches tall above the soil.

I wonder if potatoes have a defined life span (90-120 days) or if they will keep growing as long as they get water, heat and enough dirt around the leaves?

Can I grow an 8-foot plant?

Time and pictures will tell!

Mike

[bentalphanerd]

o.k so i have a bag of pontiac red spuds that are shooting off nicely. I'm keen to try the cage potato thing.

Whats the best soil to fill the cage with {red, black, potting mix, anything?}

how much sun is good?

how much watering will they need?


more questions to come as i think of them :P

getting star pegs & chicken wire tomorrow, winter is starting.

spudmania!

[wordwiz]

o.k so i have a bag of pontiac red spuds that are shooting off nicely. I'm keen to try the cage potato thing.

Whats the best soil to fill the cage with {red, black, potting mix, anything?}

how much sun is good?

how much watering will they need?


more questions to come as i think of them :P

getting star pegs & chicken wire tomorrow, winter is starting.

spudmania!

I use just plain dirt from the yard but supposedly, they will grow in straw, mulch, potting soil - just about anything as long as it isn't too clayish. Many people have talked about using only straw, making them easy to harvest! Leave at least six inches of dirt or whatever around the potato. As for light, I use one 20 watt CFL (2700K) per plant.

Watering is based on Mother Nature - if it rains, I water them! Actually, potatoes seem to love water, as long as it isn't overdone. I water them a couple of times a week, using about 1/2 inch of water at a time.

Instead of using chicken wire, I use window screening, the nylon type. It's easier to work with!

Mike

[bentalphanerd]

We don't use lights here - i was hoping to get away with minimal light, kind of stash it away in a corner of the yard that gets about 4 hrs of full sun every afternoon. Be stronger than 20 W for shorter time.

Have a lot of dark/black soil available, will put in straw too. Sounds like it would prefer good drainage?

Window screen - good tip :) I was hoping to be able to poke a hole in the side & see when they're ripe, eventually some kind of shelving like i mentioned before. I'll try to find something finer and see how it goes.

Thanks

:cheers:

[wordwiz]

Potatoes like bright light. And my container has white plastic on the sides and back, so it reflects the light. Plus the 20 Watt is equal to 100 watts.

The story goes that once the plant gets tall enough, you can remove the bottom potatoes without hurting the plant, as long as you do it gently. That's why straw or mulch would be preferable to dirt, unless it's a sandy type soil that breaks apart easily.

Mike

[bentalphanerd]

Potatoes like bright light. And my container has white plastic on the sides and back, so it reflects the light. Plus the 20 Watt is equal to 100 watts.

The story goes that once the plant gets tall enough, you can remove the bottom potatoes without hurting the plant, as long as you do it gently. That's why straw or mulch would be preferable to dirt, unless it's a sandy type soil that breaks apart easily.

Mike

Great info.

Thanks a heap wordwiz.
I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

[wordwiz]

bental,

I added four more inches of dirt yesterday - two of the plants seem to have really taken off in the last week.

On top of that, potatoes in four tires outdoors have finnaly made the scene, as did two more blue sprouts and two from white potatoes I had left over from last year's crop.

Mike

[wordwiz]

I'm done planting potatoes for the year. Stuck the last 11 blue and 12 red ones in the ground, plus 35 white ones. 5.1 oz of seed potatoes went into the last container experiment, giving me a total of nine containers of various types and sizes.

Mike

[chilliman64]

excuse my ignorance but couldn't you just add a little food dye to normal spuds for the same result? do these multicoloured tubers taste any different to the 'garden variety' taters?

[wordwiz]

chilliman,

Yeah, one could do that, but I'm hoping the novelty side of them will be a selling point. Tasting great and being a large producer won't be bad either!

Mike

[wordwiz]

An update:

Every Thursday, at least starting with April 10 (17th for all but one), I've been able to add about four inches of soil/mulch/straw to the plants. The tallest one is about 16 inches high with the other three about a foot tall. I can only hope they maintain 16 inches of growth per month.

Mike

[wordwiz]

An update: these plants are growing outside.

Potato on May 4 before adding potting soil
http://www.valleycat.net/garden/1before.jpg
Same potato, after potting soil was added
http://www.valleycat.net/garden/1after.jpg
The same plant today before adding a mixture of peat withe cow manure and dirt.
http://www.valleycat.net/garden/week2b4.jpg
And after:
http://www.valleycat.net/garden/week2after.jpg

The caging is 1/4 inch, 32 gauge wire. I wanted to use tires, but couldn't find the right sizes. I'll probably wrap the cage with white plastic, mainly to deflect sunlight.

Mike

[wordwiz]

Two chilly, damp weeks have passed. High temps have been in the upper 50s-mid60, with a couple of days in the low 70s. We've had close to four inches of rain - weather potatoes love. It is now 24" tall and may have three more months to grow. I'm using dirt from the part of the garden that won't grow plants and adding in peat with cow manure plus a little fertilizer.

http://www.valleycat.net/may25potato.jpg

Mike

[imaguitargod]

Damn, that makes me want to grow potatoes again...

[wordwiz]

IGG,

It doesn't take much space - maybe 18 inches. I'm really curious to see how they do at the end of the year.

Mike

[wordwiz]

If anyone knows????

The plants are sarting to produce flowers. In my experience, once they do, the plants don't last for more than about six weeks, they die, and the tubers are produced. I don't want my plants to die in six weeks - I want them to keep growing until laste August, then bloom.

I have four plants so my thoughts are to pluck the buds off two of them and let the other two grow, adding dirt if they get taller than eight inches.

Any guidance on this?

Mike

[wordwiz]

An update on the potatoes. This is the tallest, but the others are not far behind. 42" and still not flowering. Another eight inches or so of growth and I'll have to use a step ladder to add dirt.

http://www.valleycat.net/june10potato.jpg

Mike

[AlabamaJack]

that's simply amazing Mike...I am going to have to try that next year...keep a good log...

[wordwiz]

AJ,

I was keeping a really good log, but as very early spring has turned to almost summer, I have not updated it weekly. But I have kept it simple. Take a tire and but a couple of inches of dirt in the bottom. Take a seed potato - it doesn't need to be big as long as it has a couple of eyes in it, and plant it in the middle of the tire. Cover it with dirt that is loose, such as potting or top soil. Once the plant has eight inches of stalk/leaves showing, add another layer of dirt, being careful to pull the leaves up towards the center (don't cover them). I add an ounce or two of 12-12-12 fertilizer each time I add dirt, plus a pound or so of peat with cow manure (simnply because the dirt I'm using doesn't hold moisture.

Once the plant reaches the top of the cage, but before I add more dirt, I put another circle of mesh in it. I try to keep the dirt very moist - potatoes don't love drowning, but like staying wet.

I have no idea how many pounds (or ounces!) of potatoes I will get from each cage. Ideally, it will be 3-5 pounds per layer, with a layer forming every six inches or so. Once the plants die, be it next week, next month or in September, I'll empty the cages (and pile the dirt someplace where I can use it in another part of the garden next year) and weigh the spuds. I will be thrilled if I can get 30 pounds from each one, since I planted a 5 ounce seed potato to start.

Mike

[imaguitargod]

WOW! That looks awesome!!!! Ok, I may just have to go out and start one of those myself....should aI start a plant from a potato eye or just from seed?

[wordwiz]

IGG,

I've never seen a potato seed, though I'm trying to figure out if it's possible to collect some.

The best way is to find a certified seed potato and use it. It doesn't have to be very large - that one came from a 5-ounce potato. Just be sure it has a couple of eyes or sprouts showing.

Mike

[bentalphanerd]

Dug into mine today to see if theres signs of life and the shoots are ...well, shooting up :cool:

built mine out of chicken wire around 3 star pegs and doing layers of compost & sugar cane mulch (very cheap here & looks much like straw)I put it next to the compost pile because it gets the best winter sun, and i can just shovel the next layer in.

Big surprise while digging through....its full of earth worms. WoooHoo added bonus.

:cheers:

[wordwiz]

Bent,

The ones I was trying to grow upstairs died - I thnk it was from using some potting soil the cats urinated in. When I dug through the dirt/mulch/potting soil, not a single spud. I was slightly disappointed, but these take 110-135 days to mature. The plants were at about the 50-70 day stage. (An optimistic outlook!). I'm going to let two of the plants, that are now about four foot tall, run their course. The onther two, I'll keep adding dirt to, at least through August.

Mike

[the54]

What are the advantages of planting potatoes so they grow in such tall cage things instead of just in the ground?

[wordwiz]

Supposedly, they form tubers at every level so that instead of one set of potatoes, you can get 5-7 sets. I'll find out in maybe a month if this is true.

Mike

[talas]

AJ,

I was keeping a really good log, but as very early spring has turned to almost summer, I have not updated it weekly. But I have kept it simple. Take a tire and but a couple of inches of dirt in the bottom. Take a seed potato - it doesn't need to be big as long as it has a couple of eyes in it, and plant it in the middle of the tire. Cover it with dirt that is loose, such as potting or top soil. Once the plant has eight inches of stalk/leaves showing, add another layer of dirt, being careful to pull the leaves up towards the center (don't cover them). I add an ounce or two of 12-12-12 fertilizer each time I add dirt, plus a pound or so of peat with cow manure (simnply because the dirt I'm using doesn't hold moisture.

Once the plant reaches the top of the cage, but before I add more dirt, I put another circle of mesh in it. I try to keep the dirt very moist - potatoes don't love drowning, but like staying wet.

I have no idea how many pounds (or ounces!) of potatoes I will get from each cage. Ideally, it will be 3-5 pounds per layer, with a layer forming every six inches or so. Once the plants die, be it next week, next month or in September, I'll empty the cages (and pile the dirt someplace where I can use it in another part of the garden next year) and weigh the spuds. I will be thrilled if I can get 30 pounds from each one, since I planted a 5 ounce seed potato to start.

Mike

worldwiz erm was going to grow in bags but now im going to try your method..thank you great thread ;)

[wordwiz]

Good luck Talas. I almost wish a couple of the plants would die (they should later this month or in early August) so I can see how they turned out. It would be neat to have 100 pounds each of red and blue ptotatoes to eat/sell/give to friends. Besides two cages of each, I have about eight linear feet of garden space for normal growing per type, plus 54 feet for regular potatoes.

I wish there was a simple way of preserving them for a variety of uses. My son showed my how to save them for French Fries and such, and I suppose I could can them for mashed potatoes (put it's simply cheaper and easier to buy flakes at the store). I really would love to find a way I could use them for baked potatoes in March.

Mike

[wordwiz]

My cage experiment may be drawing to a close. The plants are starting to turn yellow, some more so than others. This is normal, at least for taters grown in the ground without a cage. It happens from the middle of July to the middle of August every year. I do not know if they have a biological clock that says once they are dug, in X number of days they will die, if it a heat/length of day thing or other factors. I tend to believe how long they are in the ground may not make that much difference. The ones in the cages were planted St. Pat's day while some others were planted a full month later; and they are from the same bag of seed potatoes.

If this is so, it bodes no good for our contest, as these seeds were harvested about the same time as the ones I planted in the garden - and they are dying.

Something odd about the cages - there is a hole - about three inches wide - that circles the stem. It extends down about three feet. Two plants show this hole, the other two do not. I can't wait until I open the cage and see what's in the dirt in those two.

The cage that is closest to giving up the ghost may be ready to open by this time next week, if not before. The leaves are completely yellow and a few are brown. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and batteries for the camera charged up.

Mike

[millworkman]

Take lots of pictures. I am looking forward to this.

[bentalphanerd]

my cage is made of chicken wire...& going to be very interesting ...got plants growing out the sides as well as the top.
Still a long way from filling it up. Will keep you posted.

[wordwiz]

Well, my potato dig turned into an Easter Potato hunt. Hunt as in "I can't ind any potatoes."

I did manage to snag six of them, with the largest weighing in at about the weight of an obese goldfish - 1.6 ounces. This was a blue potato, I have one more of those, two red and a white to go yet. But they are still alive and growing.

Though somewhat disappointed, I'm not distraught. For one thing, I think I have learned I need to keep something around the edges to keep the soil moist. It was all bone dry, which was not surprising.

Secondly, I have about 1/2 a cubic yard of dirt that has had potting soil, peat with cow manure, and potting soil that includes vermiculite added to it. I also have a nice spot where all this dirt came from that I can massage for next year - dig out another six inches and sow it in wheat this fall, plus apply a generous amount of straw with horse manure. Next spring, mix the dirt with compost, humus and some clay and I'll have at least a 6'x20' area of great soil.

And of course, I have Plan B - I sowed about 80 seed potatoes in the regular manner. Last year, even with a late start, my 30 plants fed us until February and they were no where near as tall as this year's plants. But I still would like to see 30 pounds of spuds come rolling out of one of the remaining cages!

Mike

[Pepp3rFreak]

Awwwww man that sucks, that huge cage looked as though it would've been packed with taters! I'm sorry to hear the news and hopefully it was just a fluke and your others will be packed with spuds!