Threw an old potato into the yard last fall and voila I got

potato plant going right where my veggie garden is.

I have never before grown potatoes so this one little plant is a good education.

It's just starting to flower. Do I need to clip off the flowers for the potatoes to grow or leave them on?

I know it must sound like a silly question but I always pick off the first round of flowers from my tomatoes and peppers to get more yield.

What should I do.

Cheers,
Schnitzel

Leave them.
The fruit of this plant grows underground, so cutting blooms does not have the same effect as with tomatoes.
You might try mounding soil or mulch around the pant to encourage more potatoes.

Thanks.

Do you think I might have any problems growing potatoes in the hot south?

Gardening down here requires relearning a lot of things I thought I knew.

Cheers,
Snitzel

People are growing potatoes everywhere it seems. I remember seeing a thread from the AZ forum. LOL

The key I think is timing and keeping the plants moist. I would take a cue from the potato that volunteered. If it is growing and produces, then you should have no problem.
I would probably plant pretty early if I were in your zone, like March. If your plant is blooming it should be producing potatoes that you can harvest in a few weeks when the vines die back.

I'm growing them in my sandy yard. C-hook is right, just keep adding mulch, I use my leaf and grass clippings. Watering can be trickey, with thicker mulch you have to stick your hand down in it to check if the soil is getting wet, not just the mulch.

Okay now. I read years and years - in one of the original copies of Mother Earth News (good gracious I date myself) that you never eat green potatoes. They are poisonous (?)

The article suggested you rake them out and let them sit in the soil for some period of time to age before even considering eating them. Then I read about "new" potatoes and how great they are.

What do I do. Can I harvest my tiny test crop and put them in a basket inside and if so how long do I wait before they mature enough to eat? Is this even an issue?

Our family never waited to eat the potatoes. Dad and I would go dig enough for dinner once the vines had died down. New potatoes taste WONDERFUL!

MotherEarth was talking about the color green. When Potatoes are exposed to too much sun, they turn green. So ,as long as you keep them mulched and out of the sun, you are all set.
So, you can eat a potato as soon as you like. The small ones are great with new peas.
The flip side is, if you eat them all, there are no big ones later....;)