Fall/Winter Planting Idea: Heirloom Potatoes

[opabinia51]

A lot of people simply grow the classic Russet Potatoe or maybe a Yukon Gold or Red Skinned potatoe. But, I dare people to try growing some lovely heirloom poatoes like a fingerling or purple potatoes.

Fingerlings are great roasted or mashed and when planted in composted horse manure (at least for me) yield are extremely high. (I got at least 38 potatoes per plant this past year)

Purple Potatoes are a really nifty potatoe. They are purple all the way through and add lovely colour to squash soup and make really nifty mashed potatoes.

[webmaster]

Hey Opa,
What kind of toll do potatoes have on the soil? Do they take as much nutrients as other plants or are they more intensive?

My mother used to grow potatoes but they were fairly small. She didn't do any kind of soil enhancement.

Is it possible to grow potatoes in a container?

[The Helpful Gardener]

Good question Rog.

Root vegetables do deplete the soil of micronutrients and eventually you will see losses in the trace values in your food, unless you are diligent in replacing them (organics is, as usual, the best way to go). But you can circumvent that entirely with a well thought out plan...

One excellent method I have seen is to make a cylinder of chicken wire, then build one of those compost casseroles Opa and I are always raving about, filling the cylinder to the brim (the fall before planting would be perfect; like now, even), then plant your potatoes in that...

You are able to choose your soil, make it friable (loose) for the whole three or four feet of depth (EXCELLENT for rooting and what are potatoes?), and (here's the best part) NO DIGGING!

Just cut open the wire cylinder and VOILA! your potatoes just fall out on theitr own AND now you have a yard of really good soil to use in the garden. Good stuff huh?



Scott

[opabinia51]

My goodness Scott, that is brilliant! I guess there is a reason why they call you THE HELPFUL GARDENER.

I guess I don't even need to answer Roger's question now!

......but, I will anyway.

Hi Roger, what Scott Said and I will give my you a little advice on what manures to use and not to use. Potatoes apparently will not grow well (you won't get tubers) in Chicken manure because of it's high Nitrogen content. (You get huge plants with large leaves but, not tubers.)

Horse Manure however is AMAZING and adding leaves to the horse manure makes it even better. Like I think I already said: For each fingerling seeds tuber that I put in, I got at least 38 potatoes from each plant. The soil I grew them in had a sheet compost that was made from this: A layer of apple leaves, a layer of seaweed and a layer of horse manure. Just let it compost all winter long, dig your mounds and plant your seed potatoes.

(I'm still eating potatoes that I dug up last summer)

[Grey]

Hey now that chicken wire deal is pretty darn cool! *remembers she has a small roll of chicken wire left from building her compost heap* I think I may go ahead and start that one going!

I never grew potatoes in Florida because I was told the potato bugs there would practically take your finger off, though I had plans to try it anyway. Are they a big deal elsewhere? Any good methods of control?

Speaking of potatoes - I have some gardening friends in my neighborhood who apparently accidentally tossed potatoes into their compost heap. They went to get some compost one day and got all kinds of huge potatoes out of it! They hadn't grown taters before so they didn't know what the foliage looked like.
Now THAT would be a fun find!

[opabinia51]

Oh you are so right Grey! That would be so neat!

I don't know about "potatoe bugs" especially in Georgia. Try a google search for your area.

I haven't had any problems with insects in my potatoes except in my purples. Though, I did plant them in the chicken manure area of my garden last year so that may have contributed to the problem. (Also, a much lower yield of potatoes)

[The Helpful Gardener]

If you go to Aroostook County in Maine (Potatoe central for this area and they would argue with you about Idaho if they were here) you will find a very dark friable soil in the potatoe fields, dark WAY down. Wut have they been puttin' on the fields eveh since they can remembuh? Seaweed. Eyuh, thats wut I sed, seaweed...

The Helpful Gahdnuh

[opabinia51]

That is hilarious! Seaweed in Idaho huh? That's a bit of a drive to get it! Wow, tenacious potatoe growers. I love growing the heirloom potatoes. As I already said: I am still eating the ones that I grew last year.

You know, I just had a brain wave: I could put a post up in our seed trading forum and in the Canadian Seed Trading Forum on the Garden Web asking for heirloom seed potatoes.

I checked out a book from the University Library a few months ago on the potatoes of Uraguay, and two other -uays and there are a tonne of them. I'd really like to try growing an all blue variety and an all red variety.

[sammyd]

I have had very good reults by working the soil up and placing the eyes on top, then covering with a heavy layer of mulch or the muck I clean out of the cow shed. This stuff has lots of long staw or hay in it and is not just plain manure.
My dad uses his lawn clippings and it works well for him.
Last year we had an abundance of potato beatles that seemed to resist any type of control other than hand picking.
But I gather the bugs were thick all over this area.

Do the fingerlings keep well?
We usually just do Kennebec, Yukons, and Pontiacs.

[opabinia51]

Fingerlings keep really well. They are very resistant to decay. Just place them in a paper bag or onion bag in a cool, dark place.

[wingdesigner]

Here's another container for 'taters: an old garbage can. Use the same soil recipe as for the chicken wire. If your (garbage) can has become a little worn or rusty ( ) maybe already has some holes in the bottom or sides, then it's perfect! If not, take out some frustrations and make some drainage holes in the bottom. Start filling with soil and eyes, you may need to check the moisture content until you get familiar with how much it needs--it'll be different than chicken wire. Grew those funky purple ones for part of a Halloween dinner--you shoulda heard the comments. Apparently, no one here knew they existed and thought I'd put purple food colouring in them. Humph. Speaking of 'taters, anyone else like Ron White a/k/a Tater Salad? He's a comedian with the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. A little more risque than the rest, but still funny.

Happy Gardening.
Wingdesigner

[opabinia51]

Wing, with regards to your first post: YES! There are a lot of lovely varieties of heirloom poatoe Like the Purple, All Red, All pink, Shepody and so on potatoes out there.

In fact, in Bolivia alone there are over 3000 different varieties of potatoes. I'm not sure that they are all edible as nightshades are known as very poisonous plants excluding the potatoes and tomatoes that we eat.

Anyway, the point being: try some nifty heirlooms. There is a website out of washington state for those who live in the U.S. where you can order a plethora of varieties of potatoes. And I have bought some heirlooms in Canada from both Garden Works and from McFaydens. But, I am sure there are others.

[TamaraJM]

Oooooh yall make me wanna add more square footage to my garden! These heirlooms taters sound really great.

Question though. I did a search for 'compost casserole' and got no hits...and 'compost casseroles' just brings up this thread for me. Any ideas on where you guys stuck that recipe? I am so clueless with compost it isn't even funny. I had a small garden a few years ago in Texas, but never used anything but planting soil and water. Granted, my squash and melons and tomatoes weren't anything to write home about, but they were alright, I suppose. Now with this garden I really want to do it right and get some really good veggies going. So anyhow, my point is that I don't have any clue how to make compost or anything. But we do have horses...so manure is no problem