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Post by txdirtdog on Mar 31, 2011 11:28:19 GMT -5
So I picked up some taters this spring on a whim. Yukon Gold and Purple Passion. I have never grown potatoes before. I know I am supposed to "hill" the potatoes - build up the dirt around the plants to increase yield. My question is when?
I did hill the plants yesterday at maybe a foot tall. This morning I noticed they are beginning to try to flower. I am thinking I probably waited too long to do the hilling. I think I should have planted last fall instead of this spring anyway, but this is a spur of the moment type attempt anyway.
Second question: Are potatoes supposed to be dug up and havested after the flowers have died?
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Post by nofeargardener on Mar 31, 2011 12:09:22 GMT -5
Sorry, I can't help you with the first question, as I've not hilled mine before (although there was a slight mound when I planted).
But as far as when to harvest your taters, I've been told that it's best to wait until the plant itself is starting to "fade" - not dead, but starting to turn (It'll be obvious).
I harvested last year at that time, and it seemed to be right on the money. But alas, I am no tater expert. I believe I grew reds and golds last year. They were delicious!
;D
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Post by txdirtdog on Mar 31, 2011 19:37:09 GMT -5
Thanks Nofeargardener. I'll wait till they start turning.
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Deleted
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Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2011 21:01:25 GMT -5
Tubers start to form about the time the flowers show up. Small "new" potatoes can be dug a couple of weeks after flowers die, but for thick skinned storage potatoes wait until a couple of weeks after the plants die back so the skin can thicken. You can leave them in the ground until deep soil freeze threatens. You don't want the tubers to freeze. Different varieties have different dormant periods before the eyes start to grow so if you leave them in the ground you could get some little plants starting a couple of months after the plants die.
Hilling at a foot high is a little late, but the reason to hill is to provide a top cover to the developing tubers so that they don't green in the light. If you don't hill the tubers will form at or near the surface. Normally you hill up a couple of inches when the plants are about 8 inches high, and then again a little later to get a final hill 8-12 inches high. The double hilling helps with weeding. You can also simply pile a thick layer of starw or leaves around the plants to protect the tubers from light so I don't think how early getting hilled dirt on the stem makes much of a difference.
Tuber formation is reduced with hot weather so winter is definitely a better time to grow taters in the South.
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Post by txdirtdog on Mar 31, 2011 21:50:10 GMT -5
I'll try them again next winter and start hilling in the 2 step increment. Good info. Thank you Tz
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Train
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Joined: April 2011
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Post by Train on Apr 3, 2011 11:41:19 GMT -5
Ya Dawg The idea of hilling comes from good maintainance. When you weed, you hill. Right from the start as you see weeds you take your hoe out there and chop them out. The soil you chopped up is then pulled up around the plant and so hilling is begun. I would start them now and even a month or even later if I planned any. Train
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Post by txdirtdog on Apr 3, 2011 11:49:34 GMT -5
Thanks Train. Btw, really good to see you posting at NJT. Welcome aboard!
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Post by paquebot on Apr 3, 2011 19:46:11 GMT -5
So I picked up some taters this spring on a whim. Yukon Gold and Purple Passion. I have never grown potatoes before. I know I am supposed to "hill" the potatoes - build up the dirt around the plants to increase yield. My question is when? The "when" was when the plants were no more than 4 to 6 inches tall and when they only had a few leaves. Then they would have been hilled to where only the top inch or so was visible. When the plants again reached 4 to 6 inches, a repeat of the first hill would have been in order. After that, you would have waited until the plants began to die and begun harvesting. The potatoes would have been found at various levels and in ample supply. Failing the above means that the few potatoes will be found only just above the seed piece regardless of how much hilling is done. Martin
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Post by txdirtdog on Apr 3, 2011 20:57:40 GMT -5
Thanks for the clarification Martin. So when these plants die back, I'll have a meager harvest.
It's what I get for getting something on a whim and not researching it before sticking it in the ground.
Ah well, if I get any potatoes at all on this go-round, I'll still be happy. Then I'll be better prepared for the next try.
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GunnarSK
Junior Member
Posts: 94
Joined: March 2011
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Post by GunnarSK on Apr 4, 2011 5:02:41 GMT -5
Ah well, if I get any potatoes at all on this go-round, I'll still be happy. Then I'll be better prepared for the next try. Any potatoes (or more than the seed potatoes) may be a good thing, but it would be nice to see Durgan's experience and opinions here.
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Post by txdirtdog on May 14, 2011 22:50:48 GMT -5
Whelp, the Purple Passion plants started turning, and I wanted the area for something else, so I dug them up. You know what? [glow=red,2,300]I grew potatoes!!![/glow] In a county that the ag extension has potatoes listed as "not recommended"! I planted 'em at the wrong time, I didn't hill them on time, I think I did just about everything wrong, but I got taters! True, there wasn't much, they were mostly small, but dag-nabit I now know I can grow 'em. I are happy!
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Durgan
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Post by Durgan on Nov 6, 2011 18:41:40 GMT -5
Ah well, if I get any potatoes at all on this go-round, I'll still be happy. Then I'll be better prepared for the next try. Any potatoes (or more than the seed potatoes) may be a good thing, but it would be nice to see Durgan's experience and opinions here. Gunnar. How did your experiment with growing potato seeds go? Do we now have a new variety called Gunnar?
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Durgan
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Post by Durgan on Nov 6, 2011 19:41:13 GMT -5
www.durgan.org/URL/?CMERX 2 May 2010 Planting Potatoes A kilogram of five varieties were selected. Five rows, about eight inches deep, and two feet between rows, was dug, and the tubers separated about a foot apart and lightly covered. The row length is 25 feet. The varieties were ordered from Eagle Creek in Alberta, since there was blight in my area last year and I thought it was prudent to order out of Province. Varieties are; Russian Blue, Agria, Viking, Alaskan Sweetheart, Chieftain. www.durgan.org/URL/?VBEJB 25 May 2010 Hilling Potatoes Potatoes were fertilized with compost between the plants in the small trench where they were planted. The soil between the rows was rototilled to loosen the soil and the surface area was smoothed over. The seed potato is covered with about six inches of soil. This will be the first and final hilling. After the next heavy rainfall the ground area will be covered about threes inches deep with wood chip mulch to retain moisture. Each potato plant was marked with a stake, since the vegetation is gone when digging and this will identify the center of the tubers. There are five varieties.Varieties are; Russian Blue, Agria, Viking, Alaskan Sweetheart, Chieftain. www.durgan.org/URL/?KRPRW 1 June 2010 Conserving moisture in potato patch by mulching. After an appropriate heavy rainfall, moisture is being conserved by heavily mulching the potato patch. The patch was previously hilled to a depth of about six inches above the seed potato. There should be enough moisture retained to almost complete the potato growth, but there will still be some more rainfall, throughout the growing season. This is the first time that I have tried mulching potatoes. The mulch is bedding wood chips, which I believe is of spruce tree source. www.durgan.org/URL/?ZLDZE 15 September 2010 Viking Potatoes Harvested The Viking is a beautiful white tuber. The yield per plant is low in number, but the tubers are quite large. This is a welcome addition to any garden. The yield is 33 pounds from nine plants. I grew four varieties in 2010. Viking, Agria, Alaskan Sweet Hart And Chieftain. The total yield from those harvested in the Fall was 140 pounds. I dug the remainder during the Summer as required and didn't weigh. This does not include 32 pounds of Russian Blue and 23 pounds of Yukon gold. Note. I will not use the bedding wood mulch again, since I consider it too fine. The normal sized wood chip mulch will be used. The other potatoes planted are not shown.
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