Potato crop pictures.

[Gary350]

Plants are about 2 ft tall. Row is 20 ft long. Red potatoes on the first 10 ft and white potatoes on the last 10 ft. Soil is 1/3 sand, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 dirt. Fertilized with Muratic of Potash, Super Phosphate, sulfur and 15/15/15 when I planted. Now mother nature has taken over. Plants have had some nice purple/red and white flowers for about a week. Potatoes in probably another month or so.

[cynthia_h]

I am soooooo envious of y'all with large lots for growing veggies and fruit trees. (I have 96 sq. ft. of veggie space.)

But I LOVE those pictures of happy, thriving potato plants. I can just imagine the potato salads, baked potatoes, stews, mashed potatoes, maybe french fries? you'll enjoy later this year. Yummmm.

We just planted our spuds today. Got 'em in really late, but we're trying the "vertical tower of potato" tactic again. 33" on a side, square frame of scavenged lumber, built last year. Got 20 lb of potatoes from 2.5 lb planted last fall and a smaller bunch earlier this year.

Looks like you'll have 50 lb or more when you harvest.

Do your red potatoes need to be harvested early and treated as new potatoes, or do they finish as storage spuds? Which variety/varieties of whites did you plant?

Nice sun exposure, too! What are the "next-door neighbor" plants to the potatoes? I can't quite tell while I'm on the "post a reply" page.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[pharmerphil]

they look nice!
When are you going to hill them up though?
It's best to hill the soil at 8-12 inches

[2cents]

Great plants,

regards to hilling, is this just for for more taters up higher? or bigger taters? or what is the true purpose of hilling?

I've heard keeping the roots cooler helps in tater production???more or bigger or both???

So, some years I hill, some I add leaves to mulch and keep roots cooler.

I really don't know if it makes a difference.

What do you do with yours?

[2cents]

Interested in taters getting as productive as possible.

Please comment on your best known practices

[jal_ut]

My goodness. That is great! I have mine planted, but they are not up yet.

[pharmerphil]

potatoes are formed above the seed potato you planted, hilling the plants, covering all but the top leaves, promotes growth, thus a larger amount of potatoes per plant.

Hilling can be done up to the time they start to bloom, which ours just started, I hilled them twice, here's a pic of our plantings, 8 rows, each 22 foot long at a 18 inch spacing, and a second closeup of the hilling
keep in mind, this is in Minnesota so not much else is showing in the photo at this time
[img]https://www.imageviper.com/displayimage/138445/0/e13.jpg[/img]
[img]https://www.imageviper.com/displayimage/138446/0/e46.jpg[/img]

[Gary350]

My potatoes are hilled up already you just can't see it because of the plants. Look at the wire baskets in the next row those are about 3 1/2 ft tall. The potato hill is about 1 ft tall. My potato row is actually 3 rows in one. I don't have enough land to make 3 seperate rows so I put 3 rows side by side about 6" apart.

I get my seed potatoes at the grocery store. I buy some red and white potatoes keep them a few months and they start to sprout. Grocery store potatoes are 1/3 the cost of seed potatoes. I till the dirt, cut the potatoes into several pieces 1 eye per pieces. I hill the dirt up about 6" and lay the eyes directly on top of soil in 3 rows side by side 6" between rows and 4" between eyes. Then I shovel 4" of dirt over them. I planted 5 lbs of red and 5 lbs of white potatoes. I till Muratic of Potash, Super Phosphate, and Sulfur into the soil before I start. When the potatoes plants are about 1 ft tall I put 1 quart of 6-12-12 fertilizer in 10 gallons of water and water the row once a week.

When I lived in Illinois I use to grow very good large potatoes with very little effort soil was excellent. Here in Tennessee I have to fertilize to get potatoes larger than golf balls.

[2cents]

jal_ut, I've seen your pictures and you have a great garden, do you hill?

pharmerphil, I've read your posts and I don't argue with your knowledge. How did you find out the new potatoes grow above the seed tater? I am not sure I am convinced of that.
If it is true(taters above the seed), would it be advised to cultivate a trench deep say ? 1-2 feet ?
then over time move the dirt back onto the plants? and hill in the end? What would this do? Would there be more production?

Many folks grow more taters than I. I am in suburbia and grow 5-10 lbs of seeds. I have short rows under 10 feet and some in intensive type areas. I like using leaves rahter than hilling, because I don't end up with much dirt to use to hill(especially in the intensive areas). But I could dig some dirt out, lay it to the side and put it on later when the plants get going.
What do you think of the leaves vs. hilling? Is it worth the time or am I just fooling myself? And is it about the keeping roots cool for more production?

[pharmerphil]

jal_ut, I've seen your pictures and you have a great garden, do you hill?

pharmerphil, I've read your posts and I don't argue with your knowledge. How did you find out the new potatoes grow above the seed tater? I am not sure I am convinced of that.
If it is true(taters above the seed), would it be advised to cultivate a trench deep say ? 1-2 feet ?
then over time move the dirt back onto the plants? and hill in the end? What would this do? Would there be more production?

2cents, 37 years of experience tells me it's so...
There are a few, very small marble sized spuds that form on the smaller roots, but your harvest of spuds come from above the seed piece you planted, perhaps a pic:
[img]https://www.imageviper.com/displayimage/138538/0/tator.jpg[/img]
A complete growing guide can be downloaded at https://www.ronnigers.com/id8.html (.pdf file)
or it is broken down into smaller downloads too.

However; Excerpts from that file , indicate that a modified version of the method you mention, is a very good option:

Dig a shallow trench about 6â€

[BrianSkilton]

I planted my potatoes about the middle of May, and have quite a bit of plants coming up. I haven't planted potatoes before, so I need to put dirt around the stalks that are coming up, for more yield? How long does it take the plant to start flowering?

[applestar]

I'm sure it depends on variety, but Cranberry Red potatoes I planted on April 2 are forming buds.

[pharmerphil]

I'm sure it depends on variety, but Cranberry Red potatoes I planted on April 2 are forming buds.

absolutely Applestar
we planted our's one week after good friday

[2cents]

phil,
thank you for the website and diagram.
planted kennebecs March 23rd they are in full flower

[!potatoes!]

on my plants, the flowers have come and gone on the russets, buds forming on yukons, everything else is still just growing.

[BrianSkilton]

on my plants, the flowers have come and gone on the russets, buds forming on yukons, everything else is still just growing.

When did you get them in the ground !Potatoes!? Just out of curiosity, how long does it take until harvest?

[pharmerphil]

phil,
thank you for the website and diagram.
planted kennebecs March 23rd they are in full flower

You're welcome 2cents [img]https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/chobb/Sm/yo.gif[/img]