Potatoes

[Wayne0 929]

I've got a few potatoes in a basket in the garage left from last years crop.

They have sprouted pretty good! I'm thinking I can put them in the ground for a new crop.

Pretty early here, but I might try it anyway. Temps are above freezing (for now).

Thoughts?

[ebinmaine 70,749]

Wait till the first week of May

[oliver2-44 10,368]

Cut them to where each chunk has at least 2 eyes or sprouts. 

They say ground temp needs to be above 50F. 

But I'm like you and like to plant early. 

I don't plant potatoes or many ground crops any more here in Central Texas.

The fire ants love them.   

 

Edited April 7 by oliver2-44

[Ed Kennell 40,497]

Like Jim said, chunk them up like any seed spud.   I would hold off till the ground warms and dries out a bit.  Six days of rain and 26 degrees forecast for Wed.

[JimSraj 479]

As others have said, cut them so that the chunks have at least 2 ‘eyes’ in each chunk. Let the cut surfaces dry in the air before you plant them so they are less likely to rot. I’m in SE PA and won’t be planting taters until the ground warms up a little more. That said, I’ve got early planted peas and lettuce up out of the ground. Hardening off brassicas to plant out after this week’s cold spell. 

[Skwerl58 750]

Here in SWVA my neighbor always uses left over from prior year potatoes as his seed potatoes. We planted ours a couple of weeks ago. Do as others suggested and you should be good.

[Wayne0 929]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

Wait till the first week of May

They are looking pretty shriveled at this point. I may just do it and see what happens

Not sure if they will last 'till May.

 

[ebinmaine 70,749]

49 minutes ago, Wayne0 said:

They are looking pretty shriveled at this point. I may just do it and see what happens

Not sure if they will last 'till May.

 

 

 

I asked the BBT person. 

She said they've planted 'taters like peas in the past. Meaning as soon as the ground moves they can go in. 

Hard freeze may be a problem. 

Otherwise they'll just grow when the warmth hits em.  

 

 

 

[Darb1964 1,093]

1 hour ago, Wayne0 said:

They are looking pretty shriveled at this point. I may just do it and see what happens

Not sure if they will last 'till May.

 

It's definitely a little early for us this far East, I've grown potatoes for years. I've cut them as others have suggested but planting them just like they are seems to be more productive. Keep them cool and Dark they should be good, I leave mine in until mid October. I eat lots of potatoes.

[Darb1964 1,093]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

I asked the BBT person. 

She said they've planted 'taters like peas in the past. Meaning as soon as the ground moves they can go in. 

Hard freeze may be a problem. 

Otherwise they'll just grow when the warmth hits em.  

 

 

 

Absolutely right as long as they don't freeze hard and I'm not sure if that really matters. I have hold overs every year that must have froze over winter but grow and produce. From my experience in my area it's never seemed to be much of an advantage to get them in as soon as the soil can be worked. I've never tried planting some as soon as the soil can be worked and then more a few weeks later in the same year. Every year is different. Plant a lot if you have room, nothing like new potatoes in the summer.

[Treepep 631]

10 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Wait till the first week of May

 

 

February 15 is my spuds day here.   Already consuming fresh seed potatoes.  Still cold there.   plant deeper and mark. IF its well drained.  Cover with mulch and label.  I do my best to label?date and always surprise myself occasionally.  I have an impressive seed bank and I plant A Lot.  Best of luck

[Mickwhitt 5,016]

Just planted my seed potatoes into large builders buckets. The were sprouting and ready to go.

I've been told to let them grow till the get flowers on and then bury all that growth. And to repeat that a few times to maximise cropping. ?

[Treepep 631]

2 minutes ago, Mickwhitt said:

Just planted my seed potatoes into large builders buckets. The were sprouting and ready to go.

I've been told to let them grow till the get flowers on and then bury all that growth. And to repeat that a few times to maximise cropping. ?

Absolutely.

 

My yard is sand all the way to water.  Well drained.  spuds are in a raised bed planted shovel deep below grade.  and burying as I go.  Works either way.  more spuds easier to fork up later.  Happy gardening!

[Wayne0 929]

Well, tomorrow is supposed to be sunny, so they are going in the ground. We'll see what we get.

[Wayne0 929]

This morning I went out to check on the chickens who's coop is next to the garden. Well, some #$@%$ critter dug up all my potatoes!!

[ebinmaine 70,749]

Dammit

[Wayne0 929]

Skunks or tree rats

[ebinmaine 70,749]

Time to set up Elmer Fudd on the overnight watch system

[953 nut 57,926]

Skunks dill dig  wherever their is any soil that has ben deturbed.  Our resident skunk dug up a small tree planting several times until it finally killed the tree. I had a large rock that I put in the hole and they attempted to dig it up.              Good part is that racoons stay away if you have a skunk and they are a bigger PITA.

One of the best potato crops I ever had was not in the soil. I cut the bottom out of a five gallon bucket, placed it on the ground, braced it, and added 6" of decomposed leaves (leaf mold), placed the potato, added another six inches of leaf mold. As the plants grew I added more leaf mold and when it got to the top of the bucket I lifted the bucket a few inches and continued adding layers. Once the bucket is off the ground you can begin harvesting potatoes from the bottom while the plant continues growing.

[Beap52 1,180]

Volunteer potatoes that overwintered in the raised bed.  Looks like I failed to find all of them last year.  The white piping is my irrigation system and seems to work really well. 

[Wayne0 929]

Well, my gamble paid off. The spuds are UP!

[Mickwhitt 5,016]

My spuds are up too. All looks good so far

 

I also planted corn, cucumbers and a few herbs and they are all doing well.

 

Looking forward to a good year of gardening. 

[Wayne0 929]

Soil is still too cold here for the other stuff I grow. Beans, Cukes, Peppers Tomatoes. Another couple of weeks should be good.

[ebinmaine 70,749]

6 minutes ago, Wayne0 said:

Soil is still too cold here for the other stuff I grow. Beans, Cukes, Peppers Tomatoes. Another couple of weeks should be good.

 

 

It'll be three or four weeks over here.

 

My garden professional and her mom usually lay in some early crops about now but we need to run the Ripper Spike through the garden one more time I think.