POTATOES UNDER STRAW/LEAVES #5

I just found this thread and had to add my two cents. I grow my little red potatoes in a large tub. I harvested my potatoes the other day and replanted the same tub, using the same soil with bush beans. I do this every year, and get bumper crops of both beans and potatoes.
I plant my seed potatoes in the bucket in February. I plant them a bit closer than all the instructions I find say to... about 6" apart. I got about a bushel of potatoes this time, ranging from 2" to 3" in diameter. Perfect for boiling.
The day I harvest potatoes, I start my bush beans in the little plastic 6 pack trays you get annuals in at the garden center. Add a little compost to the soil from the potatoes, and clean my bucket. Just as the seedlings peep through, I plant them in the holes in the side of the bucket. Only takes about a week from setting the seeds to planting the bucket.
I plant this way for two reasons.
1. I plant potatoes in this same bucket, and the same soil. The beans replenish the nutrients and clean up any bad bacteria the potatoes leave behind, so I can reuse the soil again and again. I grew potatoes in the bucket in the early spring... just harvested them, and will grow bush beans in the same bucket all summer. Then, I'll grow another fall crop of potatoes... planting in September.
2. My garden space is rather small, and we love beans. So, when my pole beans (climbing my corn in the background of this picture) start producing, I like to start my next crop. Just makes sense to keep the bucket full of something to eat.

John,
This IS my Feb/March crop! The seed potatoes have been cut up since mid-March, waiting for me to plant them out. Got so busy with other gardening chores (starting from scratch, remember?), and I was kinda holding off to see how much soil mix I would have left after planting all my other containers, before I committed to filling 15-20-gallon molasses tubs. That's a lot of potting soil to lock up in the tubs for the return of potatoes we got last time.

But, now I know why. And, I'll be conducting my little LONG-SEASON potato experiment with the new Canela and Nicola seed potatoes that have been sitting in the delivery box for a month. Sure hope they're sprouting, cause plantout for them is the end of this month. If all goes well, I should get a FULL crop of spuds by mid-November.

I'll keep ya'll posted on the progress!

And, thanks again, BJ for that potato/bean rotation method. I feel much better about all that soil in all those containers, and what I would do next! I knew I could use some of it for my cole crops (I can, right?), but I love beans too, and have enough seeds to feed a small nation. Been trying to get the planting timeframe right for 2 years now. I think I'll follow along with you BJ, and go ahead and plant out the beans very, very soon.

Linda

How are the purples on taste? never tried raising them.

Well, taters in a sack report.. we have sprouted!

ALL homegrown potatoes taste FANTASTIC!

Well, yes, but do the purples taste any different? like sweeter, bitter, or whatever???

The Purple Vikings are white inside and they taste just like a regular potato. I had some last year and they were great!

All the potatoes I grow are the creamy varieties. I don't like mealy potatoes (like the Russets). Maybe it was because I grew them myself, but, I think they tasted sweeter, somehow!

Home grown taters taste better because they also have more moisture in them.. They have not lost it from storing

CONGRATULAYIONS y'all
I am flying home today, been away for 2 weeks.
I look forward to go check on my potatoes growing in my compost bin.
y'all let you know

Here is one of my potato beds on 4/28/11

This is what another one looked like this morning after yesterday's storms and very high winds.

Steph,
Are you NOT hilling up around the potato vines? I remember reading somewhere that if you don't hill up, the plant will stop doing its thing, prematurely...

Although, I'd LOVE to have you prove me wrong, so I don't have to hill up, too!!!

Keep me posted on your progress, please. Thanks!

Linda

I hilled. However, if you have short season varieties, they won't produce in the hilled area, just in the ground.

Hi group... I've been so busy gardening this spring (46 different crops - OH MY!!!)... I haven't had a minute to do and "dave-ing"... but now I've got a problem.

I planted these Pontiac Red potatoes in early March - along with 4 other varieties. They are all doing beautifully, except I just noticed the leaves on one plant are doing this... any suggestions for an organic solution? What is going on?

Thanks!

This message was edited May 20, 2011 7:24 PM

happygirl345:

Can you let us know if the leaves with these spots are new leaves or old leaves? Also, have you checked the underside of the leaves for bugs?

sack o taters here... the hub just put more "poo" in the bags and WOW!



...oops dint mean to barge in... as you guys were saying......

They were new leaves, and the undersides were fine.

I ended up harvesting that barrel - got 17 ounces. The rest of the plants are unaffected so far! (Pretty sure it was blight)

My potatoes are blooming! It won't be long now.

Aside from daily watering, I've totally neglected these plants. I think it's because I now know what to expect in the way of harvest, for the types of spuds I planted. I've only hilled up two out of 6 containers, too.

With my track record on plant timing and following instructions, I'll probably have potatoes up to my ears!

Will post a pic on harvest day. Once the spuds are outta the containers, I plan on planting southern peas in their place. It'll be great if this rotation between potatoes and beans in the same soil/container works. Then I won't have to keep track of what went where, last!

Linda

I harvested Red Norlands and Purple Vikings today. I think there were a few Rio Grande Russets in there, too. I got much more than last year, so that's a success in my book! I'll post pics of my haul tomorrow after I've had time to sort and clean them off.

Steph,
Congratulations on breaking last year's record! Did your spuds bloom this time? Mine are making little fuzzy blooms, but still haven't burst open just yet.

I'd like to chit the Nicolas and Canelas soon, and, I found my ASHES! Need to get them into the ground. But, actually, no rush, since they have a long dormancy which will work to my advantage. Hopefully, they won't "declare" until late July or early August, and start taking off as the weather starts to cool in late-Junvember!

The reds and purples didn't bloom at all, just fuzzy buds. The Rio Grande Russets have been blooming like CRAZY!!

WOW!
I think I'm gonna go ahead and dump the spuds this weekend. I'll post pics. Truly not expecting much at all. It's time to move on to the peas. Been waiting a looooooong time to grow peas!

isn't to hot to grow peas now?

Drthor,
I mean "southern" peas which = crowder peas, black-eyed peas, Lady Cream peas, Zipper peas, purple hull peas, etc., which = BEANS! ^^_^^

Ok, I have also planted cow peas for the first time this year.
Now that it is so hot here they have starting to take off.

This message was edited Jun 2, 2011 7:42 PM

Which ones did you plant?

I needed a vining variety of Cow-Peas to climb on a A frame swing I have in the back.
Monkey Tail Cow Peas
http://rareseeds.com/vegetablesa-c/cowpeas/monkey-tail-cowpea.html

I dunno .. this is the first year I am trying those cow peas

my yukons in the sacks are doing outstanding while the row cropped pontiacs and kennebecks are puny... we have had so much rain.. the ones in the groudn are only less than a foot tall while the ones in teh manure sacks are opver a foot tall and beautiful.

I eanted to do peas.. but planting anything has been a challenge. I just finally got my peppers in pots...

Blossombuddy,
Sounds like a drainage issue. I learned the value of drainage growing potatoes in old washing machine tubs. All those holes were perfect for the job!

Here's a pic I snapped on the way out this morning of the Yukon Gold blossoms. They're coming up tomorrow.

^^_^^

Pretty flowers, GG. But why pull your plants now? Flowering doesn't necessarily signify production has stopped; some spuds never flower at all. I think some folks are under the impression when they seed potato flowers it is time to harvest. Not so. You'll get a much bigger harvest waiting until the plants begin to wilt/fade.

If you are craving potatoes though you could reach in a pull a few, not disturbing the plant, and let it continue to let the others gain in size.

Shoe ( also craving "fresh dug french fries" soon! Yummy!)

LOL ROLLING ON THE FLOOR! Ya think its a drainage issue! I know its a drainage issue. My whole garden, nursery and yard and etc are saturated.. Doont mind what GOD puts out in the line of rain, its what stupid man is illegally pushing that irks the neighbors here. I swear some people dont care what or who they destroy. Its why we cant grow corn or crops or anything because of STUPID people.

This is 5/22/11 Im still wet, cant mow, the place is a freaking mosquito pit and then days later God rains, and the idiots follow.

I thought flowering meant new baby potatoes and wilting meant the plant was done and ready for harvest. That said, most of my plants never flower. I wait until they are big and tall, and then wait some more (until I just can't wait anymore), then I plow in. The first time a potato plant of mine died, I thought a virus had gotten to it... Until I found the most AMAZING bounty buried in the soil!

I LOVE harvesting potatoes... it's as good as Christmas morning when I was six.

Hey Ubershoe!
Yeah, I know the potato routine, and that flowering doesn't signal I necessarily HAVE to pull the spuds. But, I'm getting the yard ready for the fall garden, and the potatoes are in containers I need to use to start some cowpeas (for the first time). I've got enough seeds to feed a small country, and never manage to get them planted for any beans.

I want beans! And, the newest experience of growing them.

So, tell me. What do I need to prepare in the way of growing cowpeas? Anything special? Trellising? I have tons of bamboo available for teepees.

Please lmk. Maybe I'll work on the seeds that have been fermenting in Ziplok baggies for the last three weeks...yeah, I know....

^^_^^

"LOL ROLLING ON THE FLOOR!"...says Blossombuddy...

Now you have me laughing. There is no doubt you have a drainage problem. What a picture! Shazaam! I'd say you need to grow rice, eh? *grin

On another note, I'm confused by your stating man is pushing something to keep you from growing corn, etc. Is your land flooded due to local damming of a watershed or something?

Happygirl, yep, flowering is sometimes a sign to start exploring the tater patch for new potatoes. And yep, some varieties just don't flower at all. And some years other varieties just don't flower no matter what. Personally I don't like to see potato plants flowering as I'd rather their energy continues into the potato growing, not into seed production.

"So, tell me. What do I need to prepare in the way of growing cowpeas? Anything special? Trellising? I have tons of bamboo available for teepee"

You need to do very little to grow cowpeas, they are probably the lowest maintenance plant in the veggie garden. No trellising is necessary unless you find a highly-vining variety like drthor above is growing. Most are bush types. What kind of seed did you buy?

As for fermenting seeds, I hope you're not fermenting cowpea seeds. Oooh, stinky poo! :>)

Shoe

They're stinkin' PURDY! LOL!

I have Crowder peas, black-eyed peas, Lady Cream peas, Zipper peas, purple hull peas and some other names I forget. ^^_^^

As for my current potato patch, it has been largely neglected, short of watering it daily. I'm not holding out hope for anything special to magically appear. I didn't even hill up to the tops of the containers...

But. I have long-season Canelas and Nicolas to put down, as soon as I break open the packaging box (they've been in there for 2 months...)! The Potato Farm people told me these are the varieties grown in the north that make the underground potato "trees". So, I'm gonna push the envelope and see if I can successfully grow long-season spuds in a tight Texas window!

Linda

Hey, I will take all the rain GOD will put on me, but when the villiage idiot pumps water illegally, thats another story. The neighobors are all not liking it and some are to dumb to realize what stupid is doing. They just dont seem to get just what part of no trespassing means no. Must truly be HAROLD CAMPING SYNDRONE.. what else could it be? Drugs? Booze? Pleze dont make me vent any further. Please I am BEGGING YOU!

Have you considered growing rice?

this is funnuy !

Does the words long grain or short, brown, white or flied come to mind????

What am i bid for da rice paddy.. When I say the tide is in.. its in!

They grow rice in some parts of Arkansas.