Last year was my first year having a garden. I planted potatoes in straw and I got a lot of potatoes. :) When I harvested them, I took them downstairs in the cellar and spread them out on an old sheet on the concrete floor - making sure they didn't touch each other. Well, we had more potatoes than we needed for the winter and now I have a lot of slightly pruney-skinned potatoes with eyes that are 18 to 24 inches long. It looks like a freaky jungle is growing on the sheet! lol
So, my questions are..........
Can I use them for seed potatoes in my garden this year?
Do I need to trim back the eyes before planting?
If so, how long should I leave the eyes?
Thanks for your help!! :)
Potatoes with LONG eyes question....
Yes, you can use them for seed. I would cut the potatoes up separating the eyes for more potato plants. I would not trim back the growth. How soon before you can plant your potatoes?
YEAH, What Podster said! Kewl!
Woohoo!! Awesome! Date.....Not before May 12th. Almanac says our last frost will be May 10th so probably some time after then. We usually have one or two frosts after Mothers Day and then it's done.
I set my potatoes ON the dirt and cover them with thick straw. Should I have the long eye stand up out of the straw OR lay them along the ground and let them work their way up through the straw?
I'd put them under the straw, sort of like you're getting a head start on hilling up. But I can't say as I've ever tried it with any that long... I usually manage to get them in the ground before they're more than 3-4 inches...
You don't have to wait for the last frost. It will take a few days for the tip to grow out of the straw and even if it gets frosted, it will keep growing. Those long shoots are going to be very tender for sunburn so don't leaved them exposed too long.
Thanks Twiggybuds! Will do! I'll keep them in the cellar until the ground is ready and I have the straw handy to put on them. :)
Yes ~ I agree on the freeze and sunburn information. Even if the foliage gets nipped, it will keep growing. Sun damage will do more harm than frosts.
Have you also checked this source on your last frost date? http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/
We have always planted our spuds around Good Friday even though our safe date is Mother's Day. I can remember only once that my GF was worried about losing them. He had 3-4"s showing in his checkerboard of hills, he took his tiller (one big wheel with a hoe share and handles) and all but buried his plants, the next day the exposed tips were indeed frozen. The plants survived and acted as though they had been pinched, growing into one of his best crops ever. Ric