Potatoes Falling Over ?

[PaulZone8b]

I have seen many a video of people growing potatoes (white) out in the field and they are 3 ft tall and standing strong...until months later they start dieing off. Every time I plant potatoes, they grow up about 2+ft tall and start getting whimpy and lean and fall over like they are weak. Is there something I am missing? I have been putting fencing wire cage around the pots to keep them at least going up in the right direction.

 

[Meadowlark]

Most people including myself grow potatoes for the roots...aka the new potatoes...and not the tops. Three-foot tops may look good on videos...but what really counts with potatoes is what happens underground not above ground.

... Every time I plant potatoes, they grow up about 2+ft tall and start getting whimpy and lean and fall over like they are weak. Is there something I am missing?

That is pretty much the normal life cycle.

... I have been putting fencing wire cage around the pots to keep them at least going up in the right direction.

Doesn't help and may actually hurt production. Potatoes need to be "hilled up" as they grow for better production and to protect against green tubers.

 

[PaulZone8b]

Thanks ML. You mean doing them in "pots" ? I dont have a big enough garden (backyard) to occupy that much real estate so I do them in 3 and 5 gal pots which does work. I am only talking about 20 pots so its managable and I can add more dirt on top (which I do).

 

[YumYum]

Too much nitrogen will make the tops big and green and could cause them to not grow any taters.

 

[PaulZone8b]

Hmm, I mixed my own balanced soil and no fertilizer yet, so I wouldnt have guessed too much Nitrogen. Any suggestions ?

 

[YumYum]

You misunderstand. I'm not saying you had too much N which I don't think you did. I was just saying.

 

[oldigrow]

if you see blooms earlier and then they are falling over production is over and its time to harvest. old mo. farmer we would harvest the potatos and then plant turnips. nothing better than a fresh turnip pulled and eaten on the spot on a frosty morn.

 

[Meadowlark]

...nothing better than a fresh turnip pulled and eaten on the spot on a frosty morn.

Amen to that!

 

[PaulZone8b]

No booms anywhere yet. Put in pots Dec 27. They have had about 1.5 months so far.
I may just put some wire fence around them like I do outside. This pic was before some of them started falling over

 

[roadrunner]

I don't grow potatoes, per se; however, I've buried a bunch of potato cuttings in my yard (along with my other kitchen scraps). They grow nicely, then suddenly turn yellow and die. I've always seen that as a signal that the potatoes are ready for harvest.

 

[big rockpile]

Mine started falling over too. Just part of it.

Could put something to hold them up.

big rockpile

 

[PaulZone8b]

Right, I have been doing that and will continue...wire fence around the pot which helps to keep them at least vertical for another month or so.

 

[Tetters]

I tried growing potatoes in a very big cardboard box in the potting shed (plenty of light). They seemed to grow well, and I earthed them up as they grew. This was just as an experiment. The air flow was good, as I had opened windows either side, which were netted. The final result was quite poor. Although the few potatoes were nice and white and quite tasty, there weren't very many of them, and it seemed difficult to give them sufficient water in such a confined space. The ones that Zigs grew outside in the ground were much better, although the slugs got to them a bit.

 

[big rockpile]

I have mine in half barrels in a Greenhouse.

I'm going to try in Bags again this year after I figured what I need to do.

big rockpile

 

[PaulZone8b]

I also collected seed pods from our whites last summer when they flowered so I will also try starting from real seeds this spring...along with Clancy Seeds. There are some vids out there that are promising, so we will give that a try too. I will experiment in ground and in pots and see if any difference. Gardens all over the world depend more on what they are spraying in the skies than what WE do in the dirt. Just my opinion. Those materials affect us and they affect plants too. Criminals.