Growing Potatoes

[bills]

My first try at growing spuds was a disaster. I started with good quality seed potato's but soon after the foilage appeared, so did the blight.

All the tops turned black, and withered. I understand that blight is an airborn spore, that once into the soil, pretty well screws up the potential of growing spuds in it for as many as five years.. I followed the recomendation of pulling the plants, and instead of composting, which is a big no-no, I placed in the garbage. This was after I treated them with copper spray, which if applied early enough and regularly, can sometimes stop the blight. Apparently it is considered one of the only organic sprays allowed for this disease. I guess I was too late applying it.


There is a commercial grade spray, not available to the public, which commercial growers apply on a regular basis, to prevent blight. Apparently it is not available to the public as it is very toxic. Doesn't that want to make you run to the store and buy some.....

I did manage to harvest some spuds, that were edible, and very tasty, before the blight hit, but these were from some early volunteers, that the previous land owner had planted, as they were red pontiac's, not the yukon gold I planted.

 

[Urban-farmerette]

We've grown potatoes that we bought from the store before, but since becomming a 'Master Gardener' volunteer with the extension service, I've learned that store bought potatoes are usually treated withe a fungicide that prohibits sprouting, so your loosing time waiting to see if they will sprout and if they will sprout with vigor.

Also, its a good idea to buy your seed potatoes as "certified disease free" so you won't be bringing in all kinds of diseases to your soil. If you don't want to have to purchase potatoes from a nursery each year you can either save some from the harvest to plant next year, OR save the seeds made in the potato flower and start your plants from seed next year- rather early though.

Good luck! And Good Eating!

 

[ams3651]

My grandfather used to plant potatoes...and Oh I remember picking a field of potatoes...but i dont remember when to plant them.

 

[Tink]

Hey....I was told to plant my potatoes in a tire. As the plant grows up add another tire and more dirt....keep going up. He said they are easy to harvest and grow like crazy! Any thoughts?
Tink

 

[JenniferJoIN]

We planted potatoes for the first time last year. We mounded up the dirt, planted them and left them alone. (Besides the garden watering with the dry weather)

We didn't harvest them until the plants had died and our potatoes were fabulous.

I didn't know you could harvest them while the plants were still green!

 

[ksacres]

So you have to replant potatoes every year, right?

 

[S0rcy]

I love planting potatoes. I have a tire program that doesn't use up much space and I had going even when I had an apartment. I got a fantastic amount of blue potatoes last year, 25 to 30 pounds per stack of tires! My stacks reached 4 to 5 tires high. This was only for blue potatoes, I will be trying russets and fingerlings this year.

Blight is horrible. I had a chance to study it with Isabel Vales and the Oregon State potato program. Spores were applied and by the end of the week, the whole crop looked HORRIBLE. After two weeks there was no hope. Only a very few types were resistant. Not only that but it is very very contagious. Just a few spores on your shirt or pants can be spread to other parts of the garden or into other peoples yards. If you want to know more about which varieties are reisistant and what research is being done here in the PNW of the U.S. here is their site:

http://cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/crops/potatoes.htm

One of the chemicals that is applied to potatoes for storage purposes is maleic hydrazide. The best way to keep from ingesting sprayed produce is to buy produce from your local area that is not shipped from other countries or from other states. This can be difficult if you are living in a city, but in a more rural area, farmers markets will provide you with the best and freshest food aside from your own garden.

To improve the storage of potatoes, allow the vine to completely die before digging up the potato. All the energy from the vine is put into a good tough skin on the potato which protects it from bruising. Cracking in potatoes can be from differences in temperature, genetic abnormalities, or viral diseases. viral diseases can be identified as the plant is growing. Spotting or rings on the leaves, early vine death and leaf death are all signs pointing to a problem.

Brand new varieties are available from a number of sources, most directly from those who actually researched and adapted them.

It is not recommended to replant potatoes in the same spot as diseases can stick around. A good rotation is once every 3 - 5 years.

 

[pjkobulnicky]

I've had great luck with potatoes for a long time. I do raised beds and my success is directly related to two things. the first is a constant replenishment of cover around the plants ... with nutritious compost if I have it but otherwise just mulch. It keeps the plants strong and able to withstand viral or bug infections. The other, related to mulching, is constant moisture again to keep the plants vital. Potatoes will eventually give up when they feel that they have done their job or the weather signals the end of the season. In this respect, they are like their cousins, indeterminate tomatoes, that will slow down as they age.

BTW ... I use local potatoes from the market ... but then I don't live where commercial potatoes are grown on a large scale so there is very little applied to them. These are mostly side crops for our farmers.

Paul

 

[rebbetzin]

A couple of years ago, I had a store bought sweet potato get a few sprouts. So, I planted it in the ground. It got a nice vine all summer and looked pretty. In the fall in digging up the bed for planting othe things when the vine died, I found a bunch of small sweet potatoes!!

A few weeks ago, again I had some potaoes sprout, and I planted them. The vines are nice and healthy looking, getting lots of flowers on them. I guess I will wait and see what grows under the ground this time. I think they were red potatoes, but I don't remember now.

 

[silkiechicken]

I love that potato icon!!!