Ordered my potatoes.

[simple life]

I know there are different ways of planting them. I just plant mine in the raised bed gardens that I use for everything else.
I know some have planted them in those half whiskey barrels.
I have been looking into using the haybales just to see how they work.

The perrenials sound like a good idea.

I am going to try sweet potato slips this year, I have had no experience planting them though so we'll see how it goes.

I don't know about potatoes for the tropics, I never thought about it. I will keep my eyes open while I do my searches for the sweet potatoes.

 

[kellygirrl]

Thanks, simple life. Probably if I plant them in the ground in the sun they'll do fine. Don't think I'll try container growing for them again for a while.

But I am going to try with sweet potatoes in a (hopefully deep enough) kiddie pool by my garage (so I don't have to give up a bed). I was reading a bit about it, and at least have grown them successfully before the regular way. The leaves are edible and tasty too, if anyone doesn't know that.

If I lived in the tropics, I'd grow taro. It's such a beautiful plant anyway. I'm growing one as a houseplant, but it didn't like being in the house this winter and I don't know if I'll ever be able to grow enough to harvest.

 

[dbjay417]

the airline Jet Blue serves blue potato chips on their flights. I always assumed it was dye. Ya learn something new every day.

 

[simple life]

Well if its airline food you never know.......

 

[FractalFarmer]

Would it be a mistake to use the eyes from store-bought potatoes? I've had lots of "volunteer" potatoes from the eyes/skins that go into our compost, so I thought I would cultivate them. Then I read that you should only buy "certified seed potatoes" to be free of disease. Is that a serious and important warning, or are they just trying to sell more seed potatoes?

 

[simple life]

I have heard of people planting the store bought potatoes, a couple members of this forum reported some success doing that last year.
The potato growers spray the potatoes with something that is suppose to inhibit the growth (eyes) on potatoes so what you read may be related to that.
Other than that I am not really sure, the seed potatoes may be cultivated for more disease resistance and that is probably what they are referring to.
I do look for varieties that have disease, scab and blight resistance.

 

[dbjay417]

As a follow up to an earlier post in this thread:

I did not buy seed potatoes as i was unable to find out about growing potatoes in my zone.

I DID however, find some McCain brand potatoes(monster baking potatoes) pretty far gone in terms of edibility at the bottom of a massive bin of potato sacks in Sams Club. they were shriveling, damp, and covered in eyes. I brought them home, let the eyes grow a bit bigger in a cupboard, and then interred them. Now i have blue green colored sprouts that are growing rapidly as all get out. I planted ten potatoes and got dozens of sprouts. I have already eliminated all but the healthiest looking.

As i understand it, these potatoes will probably not fare well here because of the heat. But i simply had to try. i love potatoes, and the tropical substitutes, bread fruit, cassava, sweet potatoes, are poor ones in my opinion.

 

[vfem]

You know, it never hurts to take the plunge to try something. Either it works or it doesn't... and if it does all the better for you. It feeds your mind and your stomach and your soul that way!

 

[setter4]

Potatoes originated in South America so I'm guessing lots of them will do fine in the south/tropics.

 

[dbjay417]

the only possible flaw in your logic may be altitude. They originated in the andes, which is the southern extension of the North American Rockies. It could be 10, 20, 30 degrees or colder in a mountain valley thats 10,000 feet above sea level. I dont have an exact figure but i know it gets below freezing at the summits, otherwise the snow caps would not be possible.

Thats more than enough to make equatorial temperatures tame enough for a heat sensitive crop.

makes Chile and Argentina seem a lot more like Maine or Idaho in terms of temperature.