How's everyone's potatoes going?

[jackiedon]

I have planted potatoes in 15 tires back in the middle of March. I have some that are 5 tires high. All the rain we've gotten I didn't get to add dirt like I wanted to but I did add hay. So I don't now how they are going to do but I have beautiful vines. I also planted some on the grown and covered with hay. With all the rain some of the hay washed away and you can see potatoes. I covered deeply with hay before the sun comes out this week.

How is everyone elses?

jackie

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm a little northwest of you in Prairie Grove, so I'll say my potatoes are doing swimmingly. I planted a few kennebec and red pontiac in March and just managed to hill them about a week ago. I actually had a 48 hour period with only 0.1" of rain. I felt like it was a drought. I could actually get in the garden and only sink a few inches. They are already blooming so I expect this will not be a great crop since I was so late hilling them. We'll see.

I also planted some blue potatoes in April. They are just now up to where they need to be hilled. It took them a long time to come up. With our forecast, I should be able to get to them the middle of this coming week.

For all these, I use the conventional "row in the garden" style. When I hill them, it is mostly dirt but with some semi-rotten presprouted wheat straw mixed in.

I know we'll be wanting this rain in July and August, but this is not July and August!

 

[Rosalind]

Doing pretty good. I have to go cover them with compost and hay again today.

And all the little ones that I missed last year, that overwintered by accident, they're doing great too.

 

[ranchhand]

Doing pretty good. I have to go cover them with compost and hay again today.

And all the little ones that I missed last year, that overwintered by accident, they're doing great too.

Our "leftover" potatoes are doing great, too. All scattered about!

The seed potatoes molded, so DH ended up planting all the sprouted ones I had- which was an embarrassingly large quantity! Need to find a cooler place to store them, our kitchen is always hot.

He's added wheat straw twice so far. Some are up about 2 inches, some about 2 feet.

 

[CARS]

Potatoes are growing fine but it's been so dang windy this spring that I can't keep straw on them. Just keeps blowing away. I guess it's a good way to get rid of some old bedding though

 

[2dream]

All my potatos in the ground rotted. RAIN

My one potato cage is growing like crazy but with all the rain have not been able to keep dirt on it like I need to. I have a black contractors bag that is full to the top and the vines look great. I am expecting great things from both the cage (Thanks to Peddler over at SS) and the black bag (thanks to a friend 100 miles away). Since these two above ground growing mediums seem to be working well I just started a new bag of taters. Fortunately I can make taters til first hard frost - usually around November.

Edited for spelling.

 

[jackiedon]

I'm a little northwest of you in Prairie Grove, so I'll say my potatoes are doing swimmingly. I planted a few kennebec and red pontiac in March and just managed to hill them about a week ago. I actually had a 48 hour period with only 0.1" of rain. I felt like it was a drought. I could actually get in the garden and only sink a few inches. They are already blooming so I expect this will not be a great crop since I was so late hilling them. We'll see.

I also planted some blue potatoes in April. They are just now up to where they need to be hilled. It took them a long time to come up. With our forecast, I should be able to get to them the middle of this coming week.

For all these, I use the conventional "row in the garden" style. When I hill them, it is mostly dirt but with some semi-rotten presprouted wheat straw mixed in.

I know we'll be wanting this rain in July and August, but this is not July and August!

I'm lucky that our ground is sand and rocks so it drains well but still with all this rain the weeds are taking over. The tomato plants I had gotten planted are about 3 ft tall now.

Thank goodness a week without rain this week.

jackie

 

[jackiedon]

My neighbor thought I was crazy when I planted in tires but then he saw my vines he made a cylinder object out of an old pool side and planted him some potatoes!

Now my parents planted potatoes twice a year. The first plant was always March 17 unless it was on a Sunday then it was the day before. I asked my mom when the first ones would be ready to harvest and she told me at the end of June.

What is your experience of when you harvest?


jackie

 

[theOEGBman]

Mine are just starting to bloom. Pretty violet flowers. The plants are still going insane, but Im tired of covering them.

 

[Greenthumb18]

I'm going to try to get some in the ground tomorrow if the weather allows me to. I'm also thinking about trying Sweet Potatoes, anyone tried growing this?, i'm going to buy some seed sweet potatoes tomorrow at the fruit store. I never planted sweet potatoes before i do know that they grow on a vine and you don't earth them up like regular potatoes.