Kelly I am wondering when you hill potatoes, can you cover some of the exixting leaves with dirt, leaves etc... mine are covered with leaves and I was trying to cover the stems but I bet some of the leaves got covered as well.
Potatoes Under Straw/Leaves #3
Carminator 1: The directions say to cover up 2/3rd of the plant leaving 1/3 showing, that would include leaves I think anyways, that is how I understood it.
joy
I used mushroom compost, perlite, and peat in my grow-bag mix. The drainage appears to be quite good in those bags so I am hoping that they do well growing in them. My first year of growing potatoes from seed potatoes. I am experimenting this year, since I am a newbie at growing veggies.
Carminator - I read somewhere to be careful when you cover with leaves and then add soil because it could cause scab. I think the leaves keep the potatoes more moist with soil on top. But not sure if I read that correctly...
Yup, Carmen... Cover them leaves and all. Just make sure you have at least 2" of leaves above the soil/leaves/whatever so they can continue to photosynthesize and grow!
Becky - the place you ordered them should have the days or check Ronnigers. They tell you if they sell them.
Instead of dirt, can I use leaves or straw to do the hilling?
You sure can. There's a great thread somewhere on DG about growing taters strictly in straw bales.
Since it was so wet here last year I harvested when the browning plants, (not totally dead) slipped easily from the taters and roots. I was worried about rot and second growth. I then wash them gently and dry them under newspaper on the cool well ventilated garage floor just like my GF did. Keeping them in the dark is really important. Ric
Question: I have a pound of French fingerlings coming, and I have a half a wine keg, which will hold 25 gallons to plant them in. Is that enough room? If so I can use the other half to try some organic potatoes from the supermarket.
Becky my idea was just to keep covering the potatoes with leaves as they grow, I was thinking that since I can get the leaves for free this would be a cheaper alternative for me. I have read people using strawbales as well and having a lot of success, so I thought leaves would work as well, plus when the potatoes are ready to get harvested then I would have a great leaf mulch.
I was told fingerlings also need space to grow, I was going to plant mine but ran out of room, my idea was to plant just 5 fingerlings in one wine barrell as well, you really don't want to overcrowed them.
I wouldn't plant more than 1/2 lb or even less in a half wine keg. I only purchased 1/2 lb and I put mine in a container slightly larger than a wine keg, but I think they'll end up too crowded when it's all said and done.
I'm covering mine with oak leaves, 'cause that's all I have left to cover with after I fill my washing machine tubs and the two 20-gallon SmartPots to the top with potting mix/compost.
I didn't calculate just how much potting soil it would take to fill those containers, so I have to compensate with my year-old leaf mold now,out of necessity.
My vines are growing really, really fast! Kinda hard keeping up with them. Gotta get the wire for the cages really soon to continue hilling till they bloom!
Linda
Thanks, Stephanie. They don't tell you that anywhere! I guess I'll use both halves and split the pound between them.
Linda, when I received my smart pot I was surprised of how low the container was, don't you think they should have made it a little taller. Maybe the smart pot is meant for other veggies and such. I am going to have to do the same as you, the potatoes keep gowing and growing.
Ummm.... I didn't know potatoes needed cages???? Can someone explain this to me, I'm getting scared now. LOL
joy
Joy, don't panic. Supposedly, as long as you are covering up the stem, the plants keep growing up to reach light. The cages are only to contain whatever medium you are growing in.
Carminator1 my leaf layer has begun! I have filled all the potato containers to the brim with year-old oak leaf mold. We shall see.
One thing I'm puzzled about though. I didn't find one bug (snail or pillbug) in the garbage bag of leaf mold. How come? And remember I said I was gonna wet my leaves first? Didn't need to. The leaf mold was perfectly moistened. Also I discovered the best-kept Garden Supply Store secret in Houston, (or maybe I was just the last in town 2 find it...) and bought a neat lightweight shovel. It has a long handle and a head small enough to fit inside n eBucket!
All the vines are at least 4" over the tops of the containers. I've got
2 install the leaf cages Friday.
Linda
Go Linda!! Can't wait to see the progress pics of your taters!
Linda when you do install the cages please send a picture, that way I have an idea on how to do it when it comes my time to place cages around my taters.
Carminator1 & Steph, et al.
All I plan to do to "cage" the leaves is find a roll of some kinda fencing wire I can afford, then cut pieces long enough to wrap around each container. The wire comes in rolled up rolls, so once you cut them they want to continue curling up around whatever you wrap it around. It'll be like a toilet paper tube standing up wrapped around the containers.
I may need to pound some rebar in a circle around the SmPts so the wire won't squish that fabric and disturb the vines. There're several types of cage wire available. $$ will be the determining factor here. It will need to be something with a mesh close enough that the leaves won't wash out in the rain!
That's pretty much what my DH planned on doing, too, Linda. We've got some chicken wire and were going to use that.
I bit the dust and.....hilled! LOL
Yep! Thas' what ahm talkin' 'bout!
Here's the other one. They really need more, but I need to get the cage built before doing that. Since it's so very windy here today, I wet the leaves some so they wouldn't blow away. We're expecting stormy weather tomorrow.
I just placed the cages around my two tubs, I'll take some picks tomorrow, I really need to get more leaves, they are growing out of controll.
By the way I got a book in my library and it gives you tricks and solutions that the old timers used to use in their veggie garden. There was a spot about growing potatoes, and it mentioned that it is best to pick the flowers off so the plants put their energy into producing spuds instead of blooms, I am wondering if this could be right or not.
I know that for example in tomatoes, you pick the flowers off until the plant reaches a certain size, what this does is it tricks the plant in thinking that it needs to produce more flowers and also it makes the plant place all the energy into growing bigger instead of putting fruit when it has not reached its full size.
I might try this with one of my containers of potatoes to see if this really works or not, any ideas or suggestions?
This message was edited Apr 1, 2010 8:15 PM
I guess that would work since the fruit (spud) doesn't grow from the flower like in some veggies.
Mine aren't as big as ya'll's, but they are sprouting up fast, I'm getting 4, 5 and 6 per smart pot and I got 10 smart pots, the huge ones. LOL Just covering the stems right now til they get taller? Is that okay?
joy
How bout a night shot?
LOL! You are too funny! A night shot! Was it a full moon? lol
Linda, have you started hilling?? Those things are growing like crazy!
Steph, what do you mean, "have I STARTED hilling?" Click on that night shot and you'll see the leaves I put on yesterday have topped the containers! I'm trying to keep up with the hilling, 'cause they ARE growing like crazy!
Tomorrow's mission is finding the wire and installing the leaf cages so I can KEEP ON hilling!
On another note: Someone (I forget who) posted a tip about starting seeds by soaking overnight in a solution of 1 Tbsp. H2O2 to a gallon of water. Well, I soaked my okra seeds in that last night and, well, if you think those potatoes are going crazy....the okra seems to be on steroids!
I used one little clear Pyrex bowl for each variety. This morning there were 3 that still had clear water, and 3 where the water was murky. I poured off the cloudy water, rinsed and refilled with the H2O2 solution. This evening, only 2 outta six had cloudy water, which I changed.
I think the seeds in the solution that remained the clearest are the freshest seeds. Right now there are little white nibs at least 1/4" long and growing. The older seeds are starting to poke out, but slower. Also, you can watch the oxygen bubbles coming out of the older seeds. There's LOTS of oxygen exchange going on with these seeds.
Will report more findings as they occur.
Linda
I, too, use H2O2 to soak my seeds in with great success. :-) Glad to hear it is also working out well for you! :-)
Gymgirl: I planted 25 Baby Bubba okra and 25 North and South, I soaked the seeds for 24 hours in two containers of hot water that I left on the heating mat for the 24 hours, then planted them in the coir seed starter kits. They have sprouted after only 2 days, I'm hoping more sprout before sticking them under the lights.
I now have 30 varities of tomatoes and have been staggering the plants, here are the newbies: 1 black krim, 2 homestead, 2 early girl, 1 roma, 1 big boy, 1 better boy, 1 taladego, 1 sweet 100, 1 ameilia, and 1 solar fire. I am going to have 60 tomatoes this Spring.
joy
Joy - Impressive! Do you grow them in the ground or in containers? I see you are also in Florida. If you are growing them in the ground ... how do you combat the soil nematodes? It's a nightmare here growing anything in the ground.
Linda I think the H202 idea came from Twiggy. Great looking spuds even at night. I have to go get more leaves pronto!
One thing I am noticing about my plants is that every spud is diffrent, some of the plants are taller some are a little shorter, different heights I mean, so covering them is not the easiest thing to do, since I can't cover all at the same level.
beckygardener: Nothing around here goes in the ground except my canna lilies. LOL People in FL don't even grow roses in the ground except my dad, and my brother lives in h is house now and teh front yard is full of beautiful rose bushes.
joy
Carm-That's been my problem, too. In the big blue container, I have one about 10" tall and then a sprout just poking out from the dirt. I had to leave a bit of the area exposed so the little guy could get some sunlight.
Joy - I wish I knew your dad's secret to growing plants in the ground. I've resorted to containers for everything. Now I am trying to make those containers look nice in my garden beds! LOL! That's a REAL challenge!!!!
Carm - I had the same problem, but it seems for me to be the different cultivars of potatoes. Some grow faster or bigger than others. Fortunately, I grew the same ones together and am not having a problem. Are yours all different cultivars or the same?
Becky all my potaoes are the same, they are yucon gold ones, and they were planted on the same day as well. I finally got some more leaves today I'll be covering them quite a bit to try to get more spuds.
Daytime shot!
Linda, those potatoes definitely need to have more growing medium (or your leaves or straw). It looks like they may be a foot tall! I wish my potatoes were growing that well.
David