In the Potato Patch

[digitS']

I'm growing several new-to-me varieties this year. The harvest of new potatoes began a couple weeks ago with one plant here and one plant there. I'm just about ready to weed whack the patch. That will hurry the tubers into dormancy and tough their skins.

Potato growing is not too big of a commitment since I've learned that 200# of potatoes are just too many for DW and me to store. A 100sqft bed should provide 1#/sqft, in my garden. That is a reasonable amount of spuds for us to get thru over about 6 months. I could get more pounds from late varieties but I have fun digging these earlies now ... and sowing that ground to fall greens!

New-to-me are varieties Daisy Gold and Peter Wilcox. It may well be that "Dark" Red Norland is also new. I've grown Red Norland before but was surprised to learn that there are more than one variety.

Having buried the plant markers under mulch, I have had to pull 3 plants for new potatoes and identification. Still haven't gotten to the Dark Red Norland - disappointed in the size of the plants.

The Daisy Golds are huge plants with many tubers but they have been small. Viking Purple had fairly big spuds but with only 1.25# / plant, I'm anxious to know if they have grown more. Don't remember them as unproductive when I've grown them before!

Peter Wilcox has been a geat surprise! 3.25# way early harvested. Delicious and pretty colors - purple and gold!

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Oh! Hey that Peter Wilcox is going on my next years list. I may have to make a big note on my forehead to revisit this thread if I can't find my garden notes.

This is my first year of planting my own seed potatoes and I'm kind of tickled about that. If I hadn't lost so many from storing last years overabundance so poorly we would be eating our own still.

Just remembered that I purchased a few pounds of Purple Viking
( is Viking Purple the same variety with just a name switcheroo from the seller?) because it's been a great producer for me and we like it. Plus it's so pretty.

I planted mine the last of May and they are about done blooming now. I won't pull them until September probably, with the exception of a few when my sis visits in August so I can show off!

 

[digitS']

Viking Purple is what Park and Irish Eyes have. Fedco, etc. have Purple Viking ! Surely, they can't be different.

Be advised, @thistlebloom , Peter Wilcox: "...Round sapphire beads with stunning gold flesh proclaim large amounts of tubers with a sinfully flashy appearance. Upright vines with lavender flowers, tubers set high in the hill. Space at 10–12 inches. Scab and nematode resistant, susceptible to a daunting degree of scurfs, wilts, and blights."

Yikes! I think I might not have bought those if I'd read that in Fedco! They stayed healthy and I'm happy.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Ha! Sometimes ignorance is less scary! I'm wishing I had planted more Magic Molly. But I would have had to buy them and I've been so discombobulated and disorganized with everything this year, that it just wasn't going to happen. I planted the few I had and am hoping they produce abundantly.

I planted a big tree pot with spuds for Kid#1 to take home, as well as pots with kale, tomatoes and basil, and I hope they make some good food for him. He had to borrow a little growing ground from his girlfriends folks to plant a few things, and the pots gave him a little more variety. He said they're doing great. When he harvests them he'll be hooked and will be the next generation potato grower!

 

[digitS']

I'm sorry not to have noted in my 2nd post that the description is for Peter Wilcox.

The way I wrote that, reflects the fact that a large SUV pulled up and parked beside me in the library parking lot! I had to move the pickup so as to regain WiFi and post. Neglected to proof read!

I'm going back to edit in "Peter Wilcox." (But, won't have to drive back to the library to do it .)

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

I just googled Peter Wilcox and went to the first site, "Tucker Farms". They also listed the alphabet soup of diseases it can get.
Ah well, I'm not gonna let that scare me!
It's a very pretty potato, and the carotenoids are said to be high.
Which is not the first thing I require in a spud. Mostly it has to be purty! And then taste good, and then be productive. If it's also good for you, well, that just puts the frosting on it.

 

[lesa]

I tried to save some tiny potatoes to use for planting in the spring. They grew huge, long eyes and pretty much became deflated. We decided to put them in the ground anyway. Just harvested 25 pounds from those!! Couldn't believe it. Potatoes are definitely one of my very favorite things to grow!

 

[thistlebloom]

Mine too!

 

[digitS']

"digitS'. .Viking Purple had fairly big spuds but with only 1.25# / plant, I'm anxious to know if they have grown more. Don't remember them as unproductive when I've grown them before! . . .

I cut out the vines Monday and started today with the digging. That certainly wasn't long enough to toughen skins but I'm in a hurry to get started. Taking up only 4 plants probably doesn't sound like I'm in a hurry but, hey! I also ran the sprinklers yesterday and that wet soil is heavy! Besides, I only needed to bury a few buckets of compostables.

I also needed some clear ground to sow Tyfon Holland greens (from @marshallsmyth ), Bok Choy, & Guy Lon seed. I remove about 8" of soil when I dig potatoes and pile in about 8" of compostables before returning the soil. I'd like the ground to settle but I'm in a hurry (see above). Hope the little seeds come through okay.

Took out 4 Viking Purple plants. Woo Hoo! 12#! The 1.25# from each of those 2 plants about 3 weeks ago just goes to show that they were not bulked up properly.

Steve

 

[digitS']

Another 12# were pulled from under another 4 Viking Purple plants. That's it for that variety. I had 10 plants and used 2 for new potatoes at the beginning of the month.

There are something more than 40 plants in that 100sqft bed. It is easy to do the math. 120# if I had only planted Viking Purple!

I'm on to the Dark Red Norlands next. I'm not optimistic because those plants were so short compared to the others.

Steve

cellphone photo, largest potato was 1.25#. these are delicious.