The cure for insomnia, aka, my 2012 potato harvest

[catjac1975]

RE: pumpkins. Every year is different for pumpkins. 30 plus one year 2 the next. He should try different varieties every year. The farmers in Massachusetts plant them quite late so they are good for halloween sales. I think a later start might be good to prevent vine borers. With the vined pumpkins, you can put soil on the vine every few feet so if the borers get the base the roots have formed along the vine and will keep it growing. I have the best luck with Connecticut Field. Never give up in gardening because different seasons effect outcomes of different crops.

He absolutely LOVES gardening. He has been trying so hard to get his pumpkins to grow but the vine borers get them every time. He really does have a love of growing in the garden and he loves the excitement of watching the seeds sprout and grow. I think he would make a great 2nd generation farmer. He wants to go to school to be a mechanic, because he loves to work with his hands.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

Anna, I buy my potatoes from The Potato Garden.
http://www.potatogarden.com/

The purple ones I grew are Purple Viking.
One of the reasons I prefer to buy seed potatoes from a grower is that they are certified disease free. That way I know I won't be introducing blight or other disease into my soil. It is more expensive though.

Another reason is because there is just an amazing variety available that I can't find at the grocery or even at the feed stores.
I like trying a lot of different potato varieties.

i bought mine from them 2 years ago and just had some i didn't get to eat before they started sprouting! mine did terrific this year, about as big as yours got from the looks of them. the irish cobbler didn't do quite as well.

 

[lesa]

Those potatoes look fabulous! I would certainly pack myself on the back, if that was my harvest! I predict many a delicious meal for you and your family this winter. Some of those potatoes are huge- one could make a meal! I love canning the fingerlings- they are handy when you need a quick dinner...

 

[thistlebloom]

Those potatoes look fabulous! I would certainly pack myself on the back, if that was my harvest! I predict many a delicious meal for you and your family this winter. Some of those potatoes are huge- one could make a meal! I love canning the fingerlings- they are handy when you need a quick dinner...

Thank you Lesa... honestly, they weren't all that big, probably about 40 pounds of them are marble to golf ball size. But the photographer just insisted that she photograph those.

...those pushy photographers...

 

[nachoqtpie]

Vine borers get 2 seasons here. stinkin things! We keep trying tho!

Are those purple potatoes purple fleshed as well, or just the skin? *Nevermind I looked at the site!
it makes me wants to plant potatoes now. When do we plant potatoes here anyways? I have a list of when to plant things here, but the only potatoes are sweet potatoes, and I'm not fond of them. (Blasphemy for a Southerner! Lol)

 

[baymule]

Vine borers get 2 seasons here. stinkin things! We keep trying tho!

Are those purple potatoes purple fleshed as well, or just the skin? *Nevermind I looked at the site!
it makes me wants to plant potatoes now. When do we plant potatoes here anyways? I have a list of when to plant things here, but the only potatoes are sweet potatoes, and I'm not fond of them. (Blasphemy for a Southerner! Lol)

I plant new potatoes (red skin, white on the inside) in mid February and dig them about May. Then plant the sweet potatoes! Your climate is probably pretty close to mine, so plant your 'taters on Velentine's Day!!

 

[nachoqtpie]

Okay! Could I potentially put in another planting of potatoes instead of sweet potatoes? We're extreme southern 7b or extreme northern 8a... so.. right on the line

 

[thistlebloom]

Probably not. Potatoes are a cool weather crop.

 

[baymule]

Okay! Could I potentially put in another planting of potatoes instead of sweet potatoes? We're extreme southern 7b or extreme northern 8a... so.. right on the line

Nope. Nope. Nope. Sorry, but I already tried that. I dug my new potatoes and planted the sweets. I found about 10 overlooked new potato eyes that I didn't plant in February, so I stuck them in the ground where they got afternoon shade to protect them from the ferocious heat. They grew well, but didn't make. I let them stay in the ground until they died back, but no taters! Just plant a bunch of new potatoes in the spring. I have collected some cattle syrup lick tubs. I am going to plant taters in those too come spring. I am limited in space, so every big pot I have will become a tater pot!

 

[Danny015]

my son can get them to start from a regular potato from the grocery store!! He just cuts part of the potato out with the eye and sticks it in some dirt! We got ONE potato out of his little experiment last year... but I think it was because I had it in a plastic dog food bag and I forgot to water it one too many times... oooops!

Intriguing shapes! Nice harvest. I am loving those Vitelotte