How to grow patatos?
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Ridgerunner
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There are so many different ways to grow potatoes, in stacks of tires, in bags, or just so many different ways it is hard to get too specific. But I'll try some basic answers.
Do not use seeds. When you plant tomato seeds the genetics are so complicated, you have no idea what you will get. Usually it is not something you really want. Use eyes from spuds. Often the potatoes you buy at grocery stores are treated to keep them from sprouting, so it is best to get some from a gardening center or somewhere that sells potatoes specifically for planting. Sometimes, those potatoes are treated with some pretty nasty chemicals to get them to sprout, so don't eat the ones sold for planting. That is sometimes true for any seeds you buy specifically for planting, so don't eat the seeds you buy for planting. I'll let others chime in about how to get around that, but not eating things I buy specifically for planting is one of my rules for me.
There are many different varieties out there from fingerlings to funny colored ones. I'd suggest for your first attempt, you try a basic varierty. For a red potato, I'd suggest Red Pontiac or some other one sold locally. For the white ones, Kennebec is an old stand-by. I go by a local garden center (not Lowe's or Home Depot, but a true garden center) and get my seed potatoes there, usually for about $0.45 per pound. If you get them shipped, they will be a lot more expensive. The variety they have should do OK in your area.
I'm not talking about sweet potatoes in what follows. Those are totally different. Regular potatoes produce potatoes higher than the seed potato, so you want to give them room to grow higher than where the seed potato is planted. You can do that with tires or other methods, but I grow mine in the ground. I scrape out a trench maybe three inches deep, put the eyes in there, then cover them with maybe three inches of dirt. As they grow, I scrape dirt up around them to eventually create a hill maybe 12" to 14" high. You don't totally cover up the green plant. Always leave several leaves showing through. This gives them room to make potatoes and makes them fairly easy to dig.
A word of warning. The potatoes need to remain buried while they are growing. A potato exposed to the sun will turn green. This is caused by a substance that is dangerous for you to eat that is produced in sunburned potatoes. So just keep them buried so they are not exposed ot the sun.
When the potatoes start flowering, that means the potatoes are being formed underground. You can stop burying them deeper then.
Hope this helps some. Good luck!!!
Editted to add. I start mine when the worst danger of a heavy frost has passed. The can take a light frost, and if they are hit with a hard frost they should grow back. Potatoes are generally a cooler weather crop, so don't wait too late. I'm not sure what the right time would be for you.
Do not use seeds. When you plant tomato seeds the genetics are so complicated, you have no idea what you will get. Usually it is not something you really want. Use eyes from spuds. Often the potatoes you buy at grocery stores are treated to keep them from sprouting, so it is best to get some from a gardening center or somewhere that sells potatoes specifically for planting. Sometimes, those potatoes are treated with some pretty nasty chemicals to get them to sprout, so don't eat the ones sold for planting. That is sometimes true for any seeds you buy specifically for planting, so don't eat the seeds you buy for planting. I'll let others chime in about how to get around that, but not eating things I buy specifically for planting is one of my rules for me.
There are many different varieties out there from fingerlings to funny colored ones. I'd suggest for your first attempt, you try a basic varierty. For a red potato, I'd suggest Red Pontiac or some other one sold locally. For the white ones, Kennebec is an old stand-by. I go by a local garden center (not Lowe's or Home Depot, but a true garden center) and get my seed potatoes there, usually for about $0.45 per pound. If you get them shipped, they will be a lot more expensive. The variety they have should do OK in your area.
I'm not talking about sweet potatoes in what follows. Those are totally different. Regular potatoes produce potatoes higher than the seed potato, so you want to give them room to grow higher than where the seed potato is planted. You can do that with tires or other methods, but I grow mine in the ground. I scrape out a trench maybe three inches deep, put the eyes in there, then cover them with maybe three inches of dirt. As they grow, I scrape dirt up around them to eventually create a hill maybe 12" to 14" high. You don't totally cover up the green plant. Always leave several leaves showing through. This gives them room to make potatoes and makes them fairly easy to dig.
A word of warning. The potatoes need to remain buried while they are growing. A potato exposed to the sun will turn green. This is caused by a substance that is dangerous for you to eat that is produced in sunburned potatoes. So just keep them buried so they are not exposed ot the sun.
When the potatoes start flowering, that means the potatoes are being formed underground. You can stop burying them deeper then.
Hope this helps some. Good luck!!!
Editted to add. I start mine when the worst danger of a heavy frost has passed. The can take a light frost, and if they are hit with a hard frost they should grow back. Potatoes are generally a cooler weather crop, so don't wait too late. I'm not sure what the right time would be for you.
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catjac1975
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In massachusetts, zone 5 or 6, we can get potatoes to grow from the ones we missed the previous year. They should be planted as soon as the ground can be worked. Dig a trench, 6-8" deep, plant 1 foot-18 " apart, cover with a bit of soil. As they sprout continue covering with more soil until they are at ground level. Any potato will grow. Store bought potatoes may have been treated to keep them from sprouting, but, they will eventually grow. Whatever your local feedstore sells should be good for your climate. I no longer cut up my potatoes before I plant them. I plant the potato whole. In this way I get 100% growth.
I dig them as I use them.
I do not harvest them all until a heavy freeze. This year it was December for me. This is most unusual-should be early Nov. for us.
If you like sweet potatoes they should be fine also for you zone. I have great luck with Georgia Jet. They are started from slips that you buy from a grower I have been unable to start my own slips but, I only tried once. They are grown very differently from white potatoes. They have to be planted when danger of frost has past, and harvested before a heavy frost. They are harder to keep than white potatoes.
I dig them as I use them.
I do not harvest them all until a heavy freeze. This year it was December for me. This is most unusual-should be early Nov. for us.
If you like sweet potatoes they should be fine also for you zone. I have great luck with Georgia Jet. They are started from slips that you buy from a grower I have been unable to start my own slips but, I only tried once. They are grown very differently from white potatoes. They have to be planted when danger of frost has past, and harvested before a heavy frost. They are harder to keep than white potatoes.
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So you just dig up a few at a time? They just get bigger the longer they are in the ground? OR Do you dig them all up at one at put in dry storage?? If left in the ground, how long is to long before they over ripen or oversize?
kmoranjr1
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I grew both Red Pontiac and Kennebec here using the trench method, and they did very well. We had fres\h potatoes up til Christmas and still have several quarts of canned ones left.
I dont believe potatoes can get overripe, once the plants goes by they just lie dormant waiting to sprout again. I think they may rot though if its too wet.
I dont believe potatoes can get overripe, once the plants goes by they just lie dormant waiting to sprout again. I think they may rot though if its too wet.
Ridgerunner
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Interesting how we have different experiences, Catjac. My sweet potatoes store better than my white, but I don't have proper facilities for storing the white ones. My possible storage places are either too warm or get too cold and freeze.
When the potatoes start to bloom they are making potatoes. A couple of weeks after you see blooms you can "grovel" in the hill to see how they are doing and possibly get "new" potatoes. These are immature potatoes that have not reached their full growth and have a thin skin. These immature ones will not store very well but some people reallly like how they taste and cook up. To me, they are great for frying.
Ideally, you should wait for the tops to die back before you harvest. I don't think it's so much that they keep growing in size, but they store more starch and the skins get tougher so they store better. I can't always wait for that. My falls set in wet and they often start to rot in the ground. That may contribute to why mine don't store real well, though I know my storage places are not the right temperatues. I think the ideal storage temeperature is somewhere around 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit for white potatoes and maybe 60 degrees for sweet. White potatoes need higher humidity during storage than sweet potatoes too. They are two totally different crops.
When the potatoes start to bloom they are making potatoes. A couple of weeks after you see blooms you can "grovel" in the hill to see how they are doing and possibly get "new" potatoes. These are immature potatoes that have not reached their full growth and have a thin skin. These immature ones will not store very well but some people reallly like how they taste and cook up. To me, they are great for frying.
Ideally, you should wait for the tops to die back before you harvest. I don't think it's so much that they keep growing in size, but they store more starch and the skins get tougher so they store better. I can't always wait for that. My falls set in wet and they often start to rot in the ground. That may contribute to why mine don't store real well, though I know my storage places are not the right temperatues. I think the ideal storage temeperature is somewhere around 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit for white potatoes and maybe 60 degrees for sweet. White potatoes need higher humidity during storage than sweet potatoes too. They are two totally different crops.
catjac1975
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I keep them in the ground until the last possible moment. They keep well underground. I don't think they keep on growing once the tops are brown. They just keep. I store them in metal trash cans layered with hay in a cool cellar. Tip : store the smallest on the bottom and place the largest or best nearer to the top. If you grow too many you will waste the smallest ones. ANy left overs I just replant in the spring. When dug I eat any imperfect ones first as they will be more likely to rot.
