Potatoes

[mwemaxxowner]

I have started a small garden this year.

One of the things we've planted is potatoes. They have popped up and are growing very well! I have come to realize that I know NOTHING about when to harvest them or exactly how.

I mean, I understand that I carefully dig them up, but I read

1). Something about needing to let them "mature" for two weeks in a cool/dark place. That same article was talking more about harvesting the potatoes for winter storage.

1a)Is that only for winter storage purposes? Most of what we harvest will be for eating fairly soon, but no doubt we'll want to store some.

1b) Does storing them longer term mean freezing?

2) I also read something about prying the whole plant up throughout the season and picking a few potatoes for supper. That scares me and I certainly don't want to harm my plants.

2a) Can I do this safely without harming my plants?

2b) How do I tell when the plant may have a few potatoes that are worth eating soon?


For that matter, we also planted some onions and some garlic. I honestly have similar questions about those.

The above ground fruits and veggies that I can see are not a problem.

Thanks for any insight!

 

[RalphVa]

They will blossom, signalling some potatoes being grown underneath. The tops will die when fully ready. Sometime before that, you can scratch around the side in the dirt and harvest some small potatoes. Best if it's in mulch or very loose dirt. Been there; done all this.

 

[old and tired]

Are you "hilling" them potatoes???

 

[HEC]

You will need to keep a fair amount of soil up around plants as they grow which is called hilling . If you don't the potatoes will be to close to the surface when growing and you will have green areas where they are close to the surface . As mentioned the tops will die off when they stop growing . Watch for potatoe bugs as they will eat your plants if you have them in your area . You can spray or pick them off if you only have a few plants .

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I am hilling them! Although the largest ones are only just now tall enough to begin (I read 6-8"?) and I haven't done any of it yet.

No idea if potato bugs are a thing around here. I've been using Sevin Dust and/or DE on everything so far. I'm open to any pesticide recommendations for any and all bugs. I've planted a lot of tomatoes and they are really the most important to us. I know bugs can be a tough fight there.

The soil is soft. It's mostly sand, and I tilled in 2-3" of compost before planting. I actually think I over tilled but lesson learned. Everything is growing well so there at least don't seem to be *immediate* consequences. I doubt I'll have much trouble fishing out a few early potatoes. It would be nice to have a supply through most of the growing season, even if that means I don't have much to store.

It's a learning experience. We've planted a lot of different things, and will plant more of what does well and what we really enjoyed the most next year. So if the potatoes are a big hit, we'll do more next year.

 

[grsthegreat]

My wife grows potatoes every year. Easy peasy to grow, and get large crops every year, cept last years wernt too large for some reason. None of our neighbors grew large spuds either.

funny thing is... I live in idaho. Potatoes are on our license plates. There cheep to purchase. Why she bothers growing them I’ll never know.


now she wants me to make her a cedar raised bed for potatoes. Sure, I’ll spend 3-400 bucks on cedar to grow $8 worth of potatoes.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

For us it's about teaching our daughter a little bit about where her food comes from, and how to grow it. I've also always just wanted a garden, makes this ground feel more like mine I guess.

I'm not expecting it to work out in our favor money wise, but so far we're enjoying it. We like good fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs etc, and I think it'll be quite rewarding to step out into the back yard and pick something for dinner. We've been growing some herbs that we use for some time now.

I also know what is, and ISN'T in this food!

 

[dlctcg]

I'm not expecting it to work out in our favor money wise, but so far we're enjoying it.

That... & the fact you're teaching your daughter.... is everything... Besides there is no tomato from any store that tastes like one out of the garden... (or cucumber, pepper, etc.). We are in CT so we have a relatively short season... but we grow at least 10 to 2 varieties of Heirloom tomatoes every year. Cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, beets, carrots, & squash / zucchini all do really well here.... Have not tried potatoes...
I'm sure it cost me more to grow than buy... but you can not put a price on the quality, the taste or the satisfaction of growing your own.... Oh, and herbs is one of our biggest crops... We grow basil like crazy.... not only for cooking & caprese salad but to make Pesto to last the rest of the year... (& we give a lot away)...

Hope you have a prosperous gardening year.... I may have to try potato's next year...

 

[ruffdog]

Taters are the easiest thing I grow. I start mine in a 6" trench and gets dirt hilled onto them as the season goes. When ever it is time to hoe or till, some soil gets pulled near the plants. If you see spuds near the surface, hill some more. Don't over/under water...just do what your other plants need. The plants will start to dry up and you can start digging from the end of a row. I use a potato pitch fork and start a little ways away. Pry the soil up and you will see your taters. Keep digging/prying until you have dinner. Push some dirt up to cover what you almost dug up to protect it. Your plants will get dug up as you dig the taters. Dig them all before the ground freezes. Here is the type of fork I use (mine was my grandfather's)....a 4 tine digging fork with a D-handle for control.

Amazon.com : Truper 30293 Tru Tough Spading Fork, 4-Tine, D-Handle, 30-Inch : Garden Forks : Garden & Outdoor

 

[Ford850]

Google "Colorado Potato Beetle Beater" or "Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew". It's the best control for the larvae and can be used in organic gardens. It's worked fantastic for me, after trying many of the old standards (which are much more harmful to beneficial bugs) this is my only spray for potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, brussels sprouts, broccoli.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Not sure if it's true but years ago i heard about people piling tires on top of each other, each layer its own potatoe garden.

If memory serves, you harvest the top layer, take off the tire, then wait a bit, harvest the next layer.....

Being an Irishman you'd think i'd know but....Not sure why they did it? Prolong harvest?

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I do have a pitch fork.

All in all we have tomatoes, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, squash/zucchini, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, bell peppers, potatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce, and basil. My daughter grew some basil last year at her playhouse and will pick it straight off the plant as a snack . So the basil is hers.

It sounds like a lot, and it is a lot, but for the most part I only have a couple plants of each (except tomatoes). We see what does well and we'll narrow it down next year. Or not if all goes well!

 

[Egon]

Depending on the type of potato they should store into the next summer. Takes a cool dry place with air movement.

 

[ruffdog]

Cute girl! I was also gardening at that age! It is very important knowing what fresh food tastes like and how it grows. Good job.

 

[5030]

I grow them in straw bales. Much easier to harvest, no digging.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

Depending on the type of potato they should store into the next summer. Takes a cool dry place with air movement.

She is very excited! I took her with me to the hardware store this past weekend and she *HAD* to get some lima beans to plant while we were in there. Last night I set up a big pot with potting soil and let her plant about 6 lima seeds and set them up under a grow light. That's also how we got cantaloupe, basil, and strawberries. The strawberries I started from bare root plants, but her other things we did from seed. She has 3 beautiful cantaloupe plants that are almost ready to put in the ground. She checks on most of it almost every day and usually walks out with me in the evenings when I do a walk through to inspect everything.

I grow them in straw bales. Much easier to harvest, no digging.

I'll try to remember this for next year! Just hollow out a spot in a square bale and deposit the seed potato? As it grows you hill it with dirt? I could set that up off to the side somewhere like a raised bed.

Actually I was about to do several raised beds this year, but last minute I decided what the heck I'll just put it in the ground. Which led to me borrowing a tractor, a trailer, and a tiller. Then *that* led to me buying a trailer and tractor . Tiller is still on the list.


One of my aunts has quite a few chickens. We get eggs from her, and I asked her about starting to get some of the manure. So, long story short, I was driving the Civic yesterday instead of the truck, and brought a bucket full of aged chicken poop home riding shotgun . The windows don't work...

 

[5030]

No dirt, just damp straw. You need to fertilize the straw bales ahead of time and get them 'ripe' before planting. Goggle up planting potatoes in straw bales. Too lengthy to go into here.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

Oh, I also have a BUNCH of pumpkins growing from my compost heap where I threw two pumpkins in there whole last October .

 

[denchen]

This side of the pond, we use a purpose made and sold potato fork. Its a four tine fork but the tines are flattened out and look similar say to a beveled edge wood chisel with a bit of a bow in them. With the flatter tines, there is less damage to the potato when digging. As well as bugs, potatoes do not like `standing` in water. If you have water standing in between the rows for more than say two days or so, then you may have problems. but you can use irrigation. Keep plenty of soil over them as they grow or they will go green, and then the green ones are not fit to eat. Do not freeze, if you do they go black and then a load of mush. Avoid putting potatoes on the same ground year after year. This will help stop `potato blight` setting in. When picking, try and make sure you get them all or at least most of them or again this will encourage potato blight. Also try different varieties. some types prefer different soils and different varieties are used for `earlies` `main crop` or `lates` and some varieties are only good for making `crisps` or do you call them chips. Some varieties are good for boiling, some better for roasting and some better for chips, or as you say fries, and some are a good `all rounder`. So keep a list of what variety grows best on your soil and what the chief cook says is a good all round variety in you soil.

 

[von-mil]

Don't wash the potatoes after you harvest them as this can cause them to rot. Before storing them, 'wash' them with bare, dry hands. Final cleaning should be right before you cook them.