Potatoes 2015

[mnjrutherford]

We planted about 10 lbs of Anya, generic whites, and reds in the middle of August. We were hoping to see a fall harvest but as of a couple weeks ago, zip. Now, as I sit here typing this, we are under the deluge that has been "Hurricane Joaquin". Our potato patch is on the high side of the property and we drain beautifully. Good thing too because with the amount of rain we've had and flooding everywhere, we are still high, if not dry. I will be going out to deliver eggs and pick up milk after this and I'm not concerned about getting stuck anywhere. So, this is all a very good thing from my point of view.

I have made note of the varieties you have mentioned Martin. I'll see if I can't talk the feed and grain folks into trying to acquire one or two of these (probably the Red Norland and Russet Norkotah) for the coming year. They are slowly coming around to the idea that if they stock "odd" things, folks will buy them. Thanks for the critique.

Additionally, I am hoping to purchase some TPS to get into the ground over the winter.

[ferdzy]

richardw, when I checked my plant list, it turned out I grew Russian Blue and not All Blue. I was under the impression that all the "blue" potatoes were highly related if not actually identical, but it could be that there are differences, and fertility is one of them. My Russian Blues are by far the most prolific producer of seedballs that I have. They tend to throw offspring very like themselves - I think they must self fertilize quite often - or else they are fairly pale versions of themselves if they cross. Occasionally you may get a marbled blue/white potato out of them.

[RpR]

I have started digging my potatoes down south in earnest, although I am so out of shape I am far from fast.

Putting then over eight inches down seems to have had excellent results.
Each row more than fills a bushel basket, I believe those tote boxes from grocery stores are slightly larger than a bushel.

If you want potato berries plant MegaChip, dozens of berries from each plant.

I still have two rows to go and now have four boxes full of potatoes. Most are the size of a tennis ball or larger.
I have marbles but only a fraction of what I normally get.

Digging in the black gumbo though is work. You will be ten inches down in some holes and think that is it but then go down another six inches and out pop two to four potatoes the size of a baseball or larger.
The opening shovel full is usually a chunk of dirt approx. ten inches in diameter that fortunately does not fall apart and give an fairly clean hole to expand.
The globs of dirt are heavy but far better than continually re-digging because the dirt falls off of the shovel back into the hole.
If I were a fisherman, their were worms galore from Angle Worms to huge Night Crawlers.

Part of why it takes me three hours to do a full row is I pick every slug I find and throw it in the bottom of the previous hole and then I scrap all debris, loose dirt, leave debris, and weeds and loose plant material into the previous hole.

My one knee is not so good so I cannot squat or knee and have to sit on my side. I can knee and still do sometimes but than can be misery and day or so down the road.
For what ever reason though, thank God, my bad knee, which was more than just annoying all summer, is the best it has been since last year.
I can now step into a hole and instead of falling over due to sudden pain, just cuss a bit and remain upright.
I think maybe when I fell the first time I twisted the knee hard enough to sprain it a bit.
The odd thing is, back when I would step in a hole or catch the foot of my bad knee (it hurt bad enough when you caught your foot that you without thinking would take the weight off of it and fall) after falling on my buttocks, the pain was gone, as in I could stand up and not know anything happened.

But for now it is much better except for the cramps that come at night....

[RpR]

Oct 11, 2015 22:46:22 GMT -5 RpR said:

I have started digging my potatoes down south in earnest, although I am so out of shape I am far from fast.

Putting then over eight inches down seems to have had excellent results.
Each row more than fills a bushel basket, I believe those tote boxes from grocery stores are slightly larger than a bushel.

If you want potato berries plant MegaChip, dozens of berries from each plant.

I still have two rows to go and now have four boxes full of potatoes. Most are the size of a tennis ball or larger.
I have marbles but only a fraction of what I normally get.

Digging in the black gumbo though is work. You will be ten inches down in some holes and think that is it but then go down another six inches and out pop two to four potatoes the size of a baseball or larger.
The opening shovel full is usually a chunk of dirt approx. ten inches in diameter that fortunately does not fall apart and give a fairly clean hole to expand.
The globs of dirt are heavy but far better than continually re-digging because the dirt falls off of the shovel back into the hole.
If I were a fisherman, their were worms galore from Angle Worms to huge Night Crawlers.

Part of why it takes me three hours to do a full row is I pick every slug I find and throw it in the bottom of the previous hole and then I scrap all debris, loose dirt, leave debris, and weeds and loose plant material into the previous hole.

My one knee is not so good so I cannot squat or knee and have to sit on my side. I can knee and still do sometimes but that can be misery and day or so down the road.
For what ever reason though, thank God, my bad knee, which was more than just annoying all summer, is the best it has been since last year.
I can now step into a hole and instead of falling over due to sudden pain, just cuss a bit and remain upright.
I think maybe when I fell the first time I twisted the knee hard enough to sprain it a bit.
The odd thing is, back when I would step in a hole or catch the foot of my bad knee (it hurt bad enough when you caught your foot that you without thinking would take the weight off of it and fall) after falling on my buttocks, the pain was gone, as in I could stand up and not know anything happened.

But for now it is much better except for the cramps that come at night....

[RpR]

The potatoes are all out of the ground and I now have six tote boxes and change of potatoes sitting in the basement, storeroom and kitchen.

The last two rows turned out to be two and one half rows, my father always said my rows looked like they had been done by a drunken Irishman.

I took me four hours to dig the last rows as that part of the garden has the hardest ground but it did not hurt potato production.

They are scab free which makes me very, very happy.

Where the thistles grew, I picked out as many rhizomes as I could but did not have the time to break apart the heavy large clump of dirt they poked out of.
The thistles in the area I where I sprayed did not come back but I was not going to spray the ones actually growing in the potatoes.

I found taking cayenne pills at night, with aspirin and acetaminophen eliminated the cramps so I slept well.

[steev]

I often find that I'm better off letting myself fall, being concerned with where and how I'll land, rather than struggling against falling at all. The secret is to spread the impact, rather than concentrating it. As for instance, splatting on my whole side and arm, rather than staying up by straight-arming the ground, screwing up my wrist and/or shoulder.

[reed]

I'v been experimenting with growing my potatoes in mounds of organic debris covered with dirt that I get ready in the fall. I run the tiller one pass and shovel out the dirt then run it again and shovel it out again. Then I pile what ever I have in the trench, corn stalks work well and then I shovel the dirt back on top. It ends up maybe a foot deep and another foot or so high but settles down over the winter. I don't till again in spring, it's easy to just dig little holes and drop them in. It's work but not nearly as much as digging potatoes from hard packed clay. They seem to grow bigger and nicer too.