Potatoes

[gary350]

Minor detour on this thread:

How long do you expect between placing seed potatoes in the cold ground and having plants emerge? I put potatoes in the ground 2 weeks ago and still don't see anything above ground. I did find evidence that squirrels dug at least one up.

I have relatives in Michigan and I use to live there, their last frost is about June 7. I would keep seed potatoes covered with 8" of soil to keep out the cold if they freeze they rot. I would till the soil 6" deep and plant seed potatoes 4" deep then covered with another 4" of soil. I would not want or expect plants before June 7. You may have planted too soon but cold potatoes will not grow until they get warmer. Seed potatoes can rot before they grow plants but once you have plants they do good in too much wet it usually won't kill them. Potatoes are the hardest easiest things to grow. Anyone can grow a poor or average crop of potatoes but to get an exceptional excellent harvest you need to know and do all the tricks.

 

[gary350]

Thanks @Meadowlark

I planted Kennebeks and less than 1/2 of the eyes had sprouts. At least I know these came from a good supplier (not some big box store). And if I'm waiting for last frost I, historically, have over two weeks still.

I keep my seed potatoes inside the warm house in a north window to sprout 2 whole months before planting them. This allows me to count the eyes that will actually grow. Then I plant seed potatoes 1½ months before last frost only if my garden is not a swam we often get last of rain, last year we had 47" of rain in 3 months but not that much this year

.

 

[gary350]

We have had 3" of rain in 1 week, temperature about 80°f every day. Potato plants have grown 12" taller in 7 days is that an indicator new potatoes have grown much larger also?

 

[Meadowlark]

We have had 3" of rain in 1 week, temperature about 80°f every day.

We had 3 inches before breakfast today ...and over 37 inches in the last 16 days. Currently running on generator power...but garden and potatoes still doing fine.

We have already harvested several pounds of both red and Yukon gold potatoes. Big tops don't necessarily mean big harvests in my experience...in fact, it is what happens below ground that counts the most. Some of my best harvests were from poor tops...but yours certainly look healthy.

 

[gary350]

We had 3 inches before breakfast today ...and over 37 inches in the last 16 days. Currently running on generator power...but garden and potatoes still doing fine.

We have already harvested several pounds of both red and Yukon gold potatoes. Big tops don't necessarily mean big harvests in my experience...in fact, it is what happens below ground that counts the most. Some of my best harvests were from poor tops...but yours certainly look healthy.

I was always told, too much nitrogen grows tall tops only. I planted potatoes with 15-15-15 fertilizer 1 time with 6-12-12. The last 2 fertilizers were 0-20-20. No more nitrogen. I'm not using much fertilizer 1/2 lb for 32 ft row.

 

[YumYum]

They are looking real good to me. The other things too.

 

[Meadowlark]

No more nitrogen.

I never add nitrogen to my potato rows but do companion plant them with peas. The peas provide enough nitrogen for both themselves and the potatoes and when harvested I get one of my favorite dishes...creamed peas and new potatoes.

 

[YumYum]

If you look at the nutrional value of a potato and skin (not counting leaves and stems) which has to come from the soil or additional fertilization:
N = Protein is %16 N: 0.336
P: 0.057
K: 0.425

That is an NPK ratio of 1 : 0.17 : 1.26
So that means potassium is king of the tuber, then nitrogen, then phosphorus. This is exactly bass ackwards of what is conventional thinking. Phosphorus is supposed to be for roots. Where is it? It's not mostly in the stems and leaves. I think the NPK ratio and timing of those is what is what matters most.

If you continously load the plants up with a 2:1:1 ratio then you may have big leaves and little to no tubers. A continous load of 1:1:1 would work better and may work satisfactory. Then you get into the realm of phasing out the nutrients. To start you may use more N to build leaves for photosenthesis. Then about hilling time you may swap to more of a P-K ferterlizer. Several different methods of fertilization will work because the plant can move excess N-P-K around in the plant to suit its needs. Soil texture, climate, and soil pH will change these factors which is why things grow different around the country and even in your backyard.

 

[YumYum]

@Meadowlark goes the complete organic route (cover crop stuff as far as I remember) and grows good taters. Here is the latest test result.

That is an N-P-K ratio of 1 : 2.10 : 1.55 without the addition of any 3rd party nutrients. Excess of phosphorus? Where does it end up? Does the plant decide what it picks up? It's not like he is able to adjust or add anything.

I have an excess of phosphorus in my soil as many do with clay soils. I've grown good taters and then not so much with a different variety. Taters are the mystery meat of the gardening world.

 

[gary350]

I have ready several places that say, too much nitrogen you get large potato plants and few potatoes. 47 years ago my best crop of potatoes were grown in a stack of car tires. Till the soil then enough seed potatoes to have 15 eyes inside 1 tire. When plants are above the tire fill with soil add 1 more tire. When plants are above the tire fill with soil then add 1 more tire. 15 plants shade the soil with plants going straight up our of the tire center. I use to always harvest 28 to 30 lbs of new potatoes. I feed plants 15-15-15 once a week with 5 gallons of water. Old tires turned me black as a coal miner wife would not let me in the house. Tires were all burned and gone.

Now I do potato hills. Lots of water and low nitrogen fertilizer works best for me. When out TN summer becomes 100°f and no rain garden is dry as desert and potato plant do not like that. This year we are having rain every day, so far so good hills have a lot of cracks so large I can drop a pencil into a crack and its gone. If our rain stops the levee around the plants will hold in water I will turn on the water house and let it run until I have 200 gallons. Our water bill said we pay 50 cents per 100 gallons of water. It takes me 5 minutes to put 5 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket 40 minutes will be 200 gallons.

 

[Meadowlark]

Taters are the mystery meat of the gardening world.

I don't find them that way, myself, as soil building takes out all the mystery.

I have found, however, that many people run into trouble with potatoes due to guessing what their soil needs. Throwing nitrogen at 'em when your soil is already above 30 ppm of total nitrogen is a big mistake. Big plants small or no potatoes.

Likewise throwing other nutrients like "P" and "K" may or may not be helpful...it all depends on what your soil has and what it needs to grow a good crop of potatoes.

That is the key, absolutely. Each year I prepare my potato rows the same identical way...add composted cow manure, chop and drop legume (s), and disc in a green manure crop over time well in advance of potato planting.

Every year I build No "n" "p" "k" required soil at initial planting (I no longer have to do a soil test). No mystery when the soil is right. I always companion plant peas with them to keep nitrogen levels good during the growth period.

This year, it will be interesting to see what the crop turns out to be. We are now at about 40 inches of rain in the last 17 days and heavy rain is predicted for Sunday. I've already harvested several nice potatoes, but it is hard to do with rain and lightning all about. When (if) the sun comes out, the heat will take off and the new potatoes will be vulnerable to rot.

I will need to harvest them all immediately when that happens. Probably will happen next week.

 

[gary350]

My potato crop is expected June 15. We often have 95° soil dry as desert because no rain for the last 3 weeks. Plants often die 1 week early not sure why maybe too hot and dry.

 

[Meadowlark]

After 43 inches of rain in 18 days, this year's potato crop was outstanding in my book.

Rot, yes many of them rotted and are rotting but for harvesting one month early I consider it outstanding. They will not store well so most will go to the homeless.

The reds showed the effects of the torrential rain the most (see the white dots on the skin indicating high moisture content):

The Yukon Gold seemed to fare much better in all the water and will make some fine baking potatoes this year.

 

[Mick Emery]

This is what we do.
No Dig Potatoes