Planting potatoes

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michaels4gardens

michaels4gardens

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Piney Flats ,Tn.
we plant a lot of potatoes around here, as well as Jerusalem artichokes. In the past we have also planted true yams, turmeric, ginger and other root crops. [depending on where we were living]
Planting these root crops with a shovel is always a lot of labor for everyone.
--here is my new design for planting these..
I fasten my attachment to the cultivator bar behind the tractor, then put a piece of plywood on top of the cultivator so someone can sit on it with a bucket of cut potato pieces.-- then the pieces are dropped down the 2 1/2 " ID pipe- they are planted at what ever depth I set the cultivator...
 

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This year I want to continue my experiment with planting some potatoes in the fall, [ along with the J. artichoke we also plant in the fall]. The fall planted potatoes did much better this season than the spring planted potatoes-- so-- unless we have an unusually cold winter-- I should have a better crop...
J. artichoke grows well here [almost a weed] so- I like it as a rabbit, and chicken feed.....

I should have less trouble getting help planting the root crops now-- [my help seems to be hard to find when several days of shovel work is expected...]
 
michaels4gardens":3izl262t said:
This year I want to continue my experiment with planting some potatoes in the fall, [ along with the J. artichoke we also plant in the fall]. The fall planted potatoes did much better this season than the spring planted potatoes-- so-- unless we have an unusually cold winter-- I should have a better crop...
Click to expand...

I often have a few potatoes show up each season that were left in the ground from the previous year (by accident; just don't always find all the potatoes under every plant). I've never really let them grow because they're usually in the way of where I want to plant something else. But I've often wondered, if these potatoes can survive being left in the ground all summer and winter and the chopping action of the tiller, maybe I should try planting some in the fall and then cover them with a layer of mulch in the hardest part of the winter. No one does that is this part of the country, so maybe it just won't work. But a small investment of a few pounds of abundant potatoes might be an interesting experiment.
Rather neat device you have made. Do you ever have any problems with it plugging up or not depositing the potatoe exactly where you want it? Would love to see some pictures of it in action!
 
alforddm":10ccpcw7 said:
How deep do you normally plant your potatoes?
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for fall planting I planted about 12 to 14 inches, for spring planting about 8 inches [I use raised beds so harvesting is easy , - there is a video on the facebook page link below of harvesting]]

__________ Sat Aug 20, 2016 3:07 pm __________

Rabbitdog":10ccpcw7 said:
Rather neat device you have made. Do you ever have any problems with it plugging up or not depositing the potatoe exactly where you want it? Would love to see some pictures of it in action!
Click to expand...

if the soil is too wet and sticky -- it clogs up, -- I usually plant right after tilling, and making raised beds, -- so the soil is light and fluffy - at that time it works perfectly
 
How do you make out on size for those spuds? I've grown them here in Southern Colorado and they dig up a little small. :x I amend the daylights out of the soil, have it nice and fluffy but it always seem to get hard (packed) during the growing season. At least that's what I think keeps them smaller. :shrug:

I have a friend that grows them in 60 gallon plastic barrels with holes drilled in them and they do great. He starts with a 1/2 barrel of loamy soil and plants them. As they grow he keeps adding soil till late August. At harvest time I help him tip the barrels over and you wouldn't believe how many potatoes he gets from one barrel.
 
Homer":1lzwhf1n said:
How do you make out on size for those spuds? I've grown them here in Southern Colorado and they dig up a little small. :x I amend the daylights out of the soil, have it nice and fluffy but it always seem to get hard (packed) during the growing season. At least that's what I think keeps them smaller. :shrug:

I have a friend that grows them in 60 gallon plastic barrels with holes drilled in them and they do great. He starts with a 1/2 barrel of loamy soil and plants them. As they grow he keeps adding soil till late August. At harvest time I help him tip the barrels over and you wouldn't believe how many potatoes he gets from one barrel.
Click to expand...

I have soil that is a little too alkaline for some varieties.
so rather than amend the soil and worry about adjusting PH throughout the season, - I grow some varieties that don't mind having a higher PH.
I grow Purple Majesty
Maris Piper
and Red Pontiac
the others I grow are a "land race" type I grew from seeds a few years back.
these varieties produce a great potato, and some are very large...

Yukon gold, russet burbank and some others do not grow well here...

If growing in barrels or any stacked type production -- be sure to use a long season variety - [short season varieties will not produce much more than "normal"]
Maris Piper is the only one I grow that produces a lot in barrels or sacks, grown like you mentioned above.
 
Just a thought for those who like to grow their own food,[ ie: potatoes ],
--did you realize that most modern potato varieties sold in the US and UK do not produce viable seed?
and because no seed is available, propagation by tuber is the only option for farmers and gardeners. If we had just one year with no potato harvest , there would be no potatoes in our countries at all, until something could be propagated from laboratories or imported from other countries who do grow potato varieties that produce seed.
I have some "landrace" potatoes I grow just because they make viable seeds...... these seeds can be stored in a freezer for up to 25 years, and in a cool dark place for about 5 to 10 years... If something did happen to our climate for a season or two, - I want to be able to grow potatoes again when it is over... There are places to order potato seed-- if anyone is interested let me know and I will post some of them.
 
michaels4gardens":ym1m9vtz said:
Just a thought for those who like to grow their own food,[ ie: potatoes ],
--did you realize that most modern potato varieties sold in the US and UK do not produce viable seed?
and because no seed is available, propagation by tuber is the only option for farmers and gardeners. If we had just one year with no potato harvest , there would be no potatoes in our countries at all, until something could be propagated from laboratories or imported from other countries who do grow potato varieties that produce seed.
I have some "landrace" potatoes I grow just because they make viable seeds...... these seeds can be stored in a freezer for up to 25 years, and in a cool dark place for about 5 to 10 years... If something did happen to our climate for a season or two, - I want to be able to grow potatoes again when it is over... There are places to order potato seed-- if anyone is interested let me know and I will post some of them.
Click to expand...

Wow! That's interesting to know! I wondered about potato seeds, but had never seen any so was never really sure if such a thing existed or how it all really worked (newbie here, can you tell?). I would love to know more about growing them from seed, where to get them, etc. That would be a neat process!
 
This supplier is reasonable, http://www.ebay.com/itm/122003038117
option #1 plant seed in greenhouse 40 days before last frost date, transplant into garden 40 days after germination.
option #2 plant seed directly into garden when soil is right for planting green beans, harvest small potatoes in the fall, and then replant the small potatoes the following spring to get regular size potatoes from the tuber propagation from then on.
 
heritage":1ufr6mwq said:
Neat! Thanks! Is there any way to save seeds from the plants of these seeds then? (again, likely a beginner question)
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The plants, [probably the second year if you direct seed into the garden the first year] will produce little berries that look like small green ,cherry tomatoes. pick these when you harvest, [or off the ground if they fall off first] when the berries get soft, put them in a blender with water on a slow speed until the pulp is separated from the seed, pour off the water and pulp, and then carefully spread the tiny seeds on a handkerchief, and let them dry, - after they are dry put them in a sealed jar in the freezer. in a freezer they keep a long time... <br /><br /> __________ Wed Aug 24, 2016 4:01 am __________ <br /><br />
michaels4gardens":1ufr6mwq said:
This supplier is reasonable, http://www.ebay.com/itm/122003038117
option #1 plant seed in greenhouse 40 days before last frost date, transplant into garden 40 days after germination.
option #2 plant seed directly into garden when soil is right for planting green beans, harvest small potatoes in the fall, and then replant the small potatoes the following spring to get regular size potatoes from the tuber propagation from then on.
Click to expand...

I should have added, soak seeds overnight before planting . plant plenty of seed, potato seed has sporadic germination at about 70% , and some will germinate as much as 60 days after planting, - Young potato plants transplant well until about an inch tall, after that they have a huge root system, and much more care is needed to successfully transplant .
 
Very cool to know, thank you! I might try some, just to do it (b/c that seems to be a motivating factor for so much of what I do :lol: Grow a garden? Raise my own meat? Spin wool? Sure! Why not? Now I can say that I can do it!)
 
michaels4gardens":g7a8mtvp said:
.... If we had just one year with no potato harvest , there would be no potatoes in our countries at all, until something could be propagated from laboratories or imported from other countries who do grow potato varieties that produce seed.
Click to expand...
In reality, our entire commercial food chain is almost just as close to failure as the potato market. It seems as if all of our food production eggs are in one basket. If the basket slips, there goes the eggs. :cry:
Add to that the fact that the government wants to remove all forms of self sufficiency and you've got a recipe for disaster! I guess it's much easier to control people when you control their next meal.
 
[In reality, our entire commercial food chain is almost just as close to failure as the potato market. It seems as if all of our food production eggs are in one basket. If the basket slips, there goes the eggs. :cry:
Add to that the fact that the government wants to remove all forms of self sufficiency and you've got a recipe for disaster! I guess it's much easier to control people when you control their next meal.]


evidently others are worried about that also...
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37155060
 

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