4 rows of potatoes.

[gary350]

Nov 1st I planted 4 rows of potatoes 50 per row a few days ago, Russet, Kennebec, Red Pontiac, it was 70 degrees here, it was 21 degrees 3 weeks ago weather is crazy. Cover potatoes with 6" of soil it keeps potatoes from freezing here. Tops freeze off there will be no tops all winter. About May 15 still no green plants, there will be 400 lbs of potatoes to did up. May 15 soil will be 65 degrees F time to plant something different where potatoes were. Fertilizer is 5-20-20. If you can not buy seed potatoes now then buy grocery store organic potatoes and plant them.

 

[Marck]

Thank you for sharing. it would be wonderful to see photos of your expertly planted Potato (Solanum tuberosum cvs.) bed.

 

[gary350]

Thank you for sharing. it would be wonderful to see photos of your expertly planted Potato (Solanum tuberosum cvs.) bed.

I have photos but how do I put photos HERE ? OH I was not logged in.

 

[gary350]

I have 2 rows 34 ft long about 60 seeds potatoes in each row. I have 2 rows 27 ft long with about 40 seed potatoes in each row. Total about 20o seed potatoes. Lay seed potato on soil surface 8" apart with fertilizer between each potato. Use rake to cove up potatoes. Mulch helps to prevent 3 months of rain from washing soil away. We have about 4 months of rain here Dec to May. Hills allow soil to expand so potatoes grow larger. I actually planted 1 row Nov 1, another row Nev 15, then 2 rows Dec 1, they will all be harvested May 15. Our last frost is April 20 and first frost is Nov 5. We get 15 degree weather in winter. There is a potato row each side of the onion bed. This is not a raised bed I don't do raised beds this is mulch to prevent chickweed from growing so I can plant 400 onions March 1st after I remove all the mulch in the bed. Bed is only to hold water onions need water every day for 2 months. This is how they grow potatoes in Ireland plant seed potatoes before soil freezes cover with enough soil so potatoes do not freeze then dig up potatoes when soil is no longer frozen.

 

[ZeldaZee]

It is an interesting technic. What garden zone you live in?

 

[Marck]

Those really are exceptionally well-laid beds. That raised mulch container is a good idea. When do you expect your potato plants to emerge? Also, what does that wooden box do?

 

[gary350]

It is an interesting technic. What garden zone you live in?

I think we are in zone 7 our low is usually 15°F most of the winter & sometimes as low a 5° a few days.

 

[gary350]

Those really are exceptionally well-laid beds. That raised mulch container is a good idea. When do you expect your potato plants to emerge? Also, what does that wooden box do?

I don't do raised beds too much work, too expensive & too dry they need LOTS of water every day we are often gone for a week or longer several times most of the summer. Mulch has cardboard under it to stop chickweed from being 15" tall by March 1st. Mulch is heavy it keeps cardboard from blowing away. Wooden frame is a dam to hold in water once a week for 400 onions. Bed is the same level as the whole garden. When it comes time to plant March 1st, 400 onions, red, yellow, walla walla, candy, mulch will get thrown somewhere and tilled into the soil. I get free mulch at local recycle center it is, ground up tree leaves, grass, ground up bushes, ground up tree limbs. Potato harvest is usually May 15 that is when our soil is warmed up to 65°F time to plant, beans, melons, okra, tomatoes, peppers, corn, and other seeds, potatoes need to be gone about May 15 so I can plant other things.

Most people around here TN plant potatoes about March 15 then harvest is August. Potatoes don't like our hot 98° dry summers potato crop will be small. We seldom get more than 3 rains all summer June to Sept and rain almost every day Jan to April. If we get snow it is gone in 2 days.

What looks like a bed on the left of 1st picture is just mulch. I am trying something new trying to grow carrots with 2000 seeds. Carrots never grow well in TN but if we get 1000 carrots the size of my finger that will be a good crop of carrots. I put mulch on soil then sprinkled on seeds to see if they grow. So far nothing is growing there. Need to experiment & try new thing I might learn a new way to grow carrots here that works for us. 1000 carrot seeds are $2 free postage on Ebay

 

[Durgan]

Carrots are difficult to geminate. I cover the row with a oar and water can to keep damp until germination. Works well.
http://durgan.org/2017/April 2017/25 April 2017 Planting Carrots Board Method/HTML/ 25 April 2017 Planting Carrots Board Method
Carrot seed to obtain good germination and spacing some steps can be taken. Use the board method to improve germination. Adequate seed spacing at planting means no thinning of very small plants is required. Covering the seeds with a board prevents the seeds from drying out due to hot sun and moderates the soil temperature (Carrots will not germinate above 80F), and from getting moved by heavy rainfall until the plant is established. The board covering is raised with cross pieces so the emerging plant has some vertical growing space before being removed. The board is removed immediately upon the plants emerging. The board method improves germination for most seeds.

 

[Meadowlark]

Interested in your planting approach if you would care to comment on it.

You are zone 7 right?

In zone 8 here I harvest about the same time as you do mid to late May but plant my cuts Valentines Day. That date is timed to minimize the number of times the tops get frozen back. My experience has been that the production lost to tops freezing is significant.....yet your approach guarantees that the tops will be frozen back possibly multiple times.

Just for reference, my standard average production ratio is 10 pounds of new potatoes per pound of seed potatoes. So we usually plant 20 pounds of seed potatoes and get at least 200 pounds of new potatoes which just about does us or annual usage.

I'd be interested in your comments on the effects of freezing the tops back.

I noticed you also plant onions....we plant about 300 short day onion sets in Nov and harvest at least 200 pounds of onions in mid May which also amounts to our annual usage of onions.

 

[gary350]

Interested in your planting approach if you would care to comment on it.

You are zone 7 right?

In zone 8 here I harvest about the same time as you do mid to late May but plant my cuts Valentines Day. That date is timed to minimize the number of times the tops get frozen back. My experience has been that the production lost to tops freezing is significant.....yet your approach guarantees that the tops will be frozen back possibly multiple times.

Just for reference, my standard average production ratio is 10 pounds of new potatoes per pound of seed potatoes. So we usually plant 20 pounds of seed potatoes and get at least 200 pounds of new potatoes which just about does us or annual usage.

I'd be interested in your comments on the effects of freezing the tops back.

I noticed you also plant onions....we plant about 300 short day onion sets in Nov and harvest at least 200 pounds of onions in mid May which also amounts to our annual usage of onions.

I usually plant potatoes Dec 1st it gets cold and plants never grow tops. No top at all I get about 1 lb of new potatoes per eye. If a potato has 5 eyes I get 5 cuttings and 5 lbs of new potatoes. If I don't cut the 5 eye potatoes it produce smaller new potatoes. I think 5 eyes are too crowded to grow large potatoes unless cuttings are 8" apart. I am only getting about 1 lb of new potatoes per eye. This year I made no cuttings, I planted whole potatoes most have 1 or 2 eyes some have 5 or 6 eyes. 1 & 2 eye potatoes will be large baking potatoes, 5 eye potatoes will be smaller potatoes. This year I plated 3 different times to see if there is any difference. Nov 1 crop grew 1" tall plants that were frost bit. So far there are no plants. Last year it never got cold until Jan 15. We are having another mild winter so wait and see what happens this time. Most of the time I plant and forget to fertilize but this year I remembered to fertilize 1 row.

My relatives in Illinois don't even try very hard they plant a 3 ft wide bed 40 ft long and get 300 lbs of potatoes. They don't plant until May 1st, they don't get 100 degree heat, and they have a 15 minute rain every evening about 4:30 pm like clock work.

 

[Durgan]

My zone is 5. I seldom get frost. If frost is immenet I hiill. Maybe get a touch of frost but usually not significient. I plant mid May to 24th. I try for 5 lbs per plant. Only need 50 pounds.

 

[Meadowlark]

...
My relatives in Illinois don't even try very hard they plant a 3 ft wide bed 40 ft long and get 300 lbs of potatoes. They don't plant until May 1st, they don't get 100 degree heat, and they have a 15 minute rain every evening about 4:30 pm like clock work.

Yes, every area has its differences that affect efficient potato planting approach. We hit high heat and high humidity in mid -May and the spuds must come out of the ground then or rot.

Storage is another very important variable in this cycle also for the grower who grows for their own consumption. It does no good to dig 300 lbs of potatoes if you can't store them effectively. Hence, we purposely limit our production to 200 lbs....that's all we can effectively use.

I've also played with the number of eyes in the cut and over the years have found it best to cut each seed potato into at least two pieces and three or more is even better. With adequate soil nutrients, even the smallest eyes will produce well, but without soil nutrients, the eye cut needs more of the potato base attached to help sustain it.

Potatoes and onions are our staples and we rarely ever have to purchase either from commercial sources. That makes it fun and worthwhile for us.

 

[gary350]

My zone is 5. I seldom get frost. If frost is immenet I hiill. Maybe get a touch of frost but usually not significient. I plant mid May to 24th. I try for 5 lbs per plant. Only need 50 pounds.

You have perfect weather to plant winter potatoes NOW. Forgot the traditional way of planting potatoes, they like cold & cool weather not hot dry summer weather. If you can't find seed potatoes buy organic grocery store potatoes. I save my own golf ball size potatoes for seed potatoes eyes are always sprouted ready to plant Nov 1st. Even if potato eyes have not sprouted they will sprout once they are planted.

WHY do I continiously have to log into this forum every time I come here, I save it and it never saves ?

 

[gary350]

Yes, every area has its differences that affect efficient potato planting approach. We hit high heat and high humidity in mid -May and the spuds must come out of the ground then or rot.

Storage is another very important variable in this cycle also for the grower who grows for their own consumption. It does no good to dig 300 lbs of potatoes if you can't store them effectively. Hence, we purposely limit our production to 200 lbs....that's all we can effectively use.

I've also played with the number of eyes in the cut and over the years have found it best to cut each seed potato into at least two pieces and three or more is even better. With adequate soil nutrients, even the smallest eyes will produce well, but without soil nutrients, the eye cut needs more of the potato base attached to help sustain it.

Potatoes and onions are our staples and we rarely ever have to purchase either from commercial sources. That makes it fun and worthwhile for us.

We have good sucess keeping new potatoes in the house in AC temperature most of the summer is 72°F low humidity inside the house in cardboard boxes in the dark. Last year I grew 88 lbs of potatoes we could have used 100 lbs but 37" of spring rain rotted most of the plants. This year I had a lot of small golf ball size potatoes we never cooked rather than throw them out I planted them all. LOL. Wow if we get 200 lbs or more I will be giving them away and have plenty of seed potatoes Nov 1st. Our soil is heavy I have to dig up potatoes. Relatives in Illinois pull up the plants all the potatoes pull up out of the soil. Their soil is light weight 90% of their potatoes come up and stay attached to the plants. This year is the first year I have planted winter potatoes in 20 years we often get rain every day Nov & Dec too. I usually plant March 1st and hope for the best too much rain is a problem. Our summers are near 100° and dry as desert 1 rain per month potatoes are few & small harvested in August. I also have good success buying grocery store potatoes then soak them in water several days before planting them. Soar away chemicals that prevent eyes from sprouting then they will grow. Organic potatoes are easy to grow & cost less than seed potatoes that are only available in our area March 1st.