I put in alot of chicken manure in that spot last year about Fall to let it decompose in the soil over the Winter. Some was fresh manure and some was composed somewhat. The potatoes didn't get any synthetic fertilizer this year. My onions which got the same thing plus some synthetic grew as big as baby league softballs.
Russet potato harvest results
- Thread starter YumYum
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Excellent crop especially of Kennebec. The chicken manure decomposing over the winter is huge!
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We grow main crop potatoes, some of which take up to 154 days
154 days, that is interesting, what potato is that? Online info says, 50 to 135 days. The only potatoes that I can grow is what I find for sale. 3 lbs of seed potatoes plus postage is $30. Local seed potatoes are over priced too 5 times more expensive than grocery store potatoes.
I found a YouTube video that shows husband & wife growing French Fingerlings plants that produce 70 potatoes per plant. Their potatoes grown in piles of straw weigh about 4 oz each potatoes. That is BIG for a fingerling potato 17 lbs from each plant. Wow I am growing the wrong potatoes. LOL.
When I lived in Phoenix AZ it was 65°f and full sun all winter potatoes were much easier to grow than where I live now.
Is anyone planting more potatoes yet? I planted potatoes and kept thinking, I am forgetting something. Now I remember what I forgot. I am brain dead these days. Oh well too late now. It has rained about 5 days a week for 3 months. It rained 4" a few days ago. Everything is green with algae. I pressure washed the green patio it looks like cement again. All my cantaloupes keep rotting, 9 rotten yesterday, 13 rotten before that, plants are getting lots of calcium every week. Online info says, too much rain washes away calcium 100% humidity and 94° it feels like a steam bath outside
No. I still haven't tried to do a Fall planting of potatoes yet. Got too much other stuff going on.
My canteloupes do the same thing so don't feel bad. I'm not sure which disease does mine in but I think it is either verticillium wilt or gummy stem blight. I have some this year it hasn't affected... yet.
I have to peel my underwear off my butt when I come back in the house. You know its humid when you bend down and because your shorts stick to your leg, the shorts rip.
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My fall potatoes are chitting and I'll plant them as soon as temps fall into the 90's instead of 105 deg F every day. I've got Sarpo, Carribe, Elba and a few dark red norland getting ready to go. These were carried over from the spring crop.
LOL, I haven't seen a high temp of 94 deg in many weeks/months and it hasn't rained since May...but we endeavor to persevere.
You know this year the temps haven't really been over the mid 90's (which is rare and maybe a bit early to say that) but the humidity has been a real killer this year.
TN summer is usually 98° hot dry desert June to Sept with only 1" of rain every month and low humidity. This year rain 5 and 6 days every week for 3 months humidity is very bad. Corn liked all this rain. Too much rain for onions. Potatoes did ok. Tomatoes split from too much rain. Melons rot with too much rain. Pepper are doing better than I have ever seen plants are loaded. I don't remember a summer with this much rain in 47 years of having a garden.
YUM YUM . potatoes that are sold for consumption have been treated with an anti-sprouting chemical to give them longer shelf life. They will sprout eventually but the sprouts are weak and they do not produce well. Only buy seed potatoes, these are not treated but are cold stored to keep them from spouting until warmed. They produce MUCH better. When market gardening I gave my young son one seed potato to plant and care for. Well he did care for it with maximum care per fertilizing and watering. That one plant grew 8 lbs of potatoes. needless to say he got a much bigger area to grow the next year.
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Potatoes have not been treated with anti sprout chemicals for 10 years. I have been planting grocery store potatoes for 6 years. I grew 121 lbs of new potatoes this year with 12 lbs of store potatoes.
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