Frost

[applestar]

I don't know if I can find it now, but there was an article by a Pennsylvania master gardener who wrote about fall-planting potatoes for next year's early new potato harvest to coincide with green pea harvest. I posted the link here a long time ago.

Vaguely remembered technique was to plant in a raised mound to avoid winter water logging and mulch really well 8-10" if I remember. It's ok for the tops to get frosted and die -- or maybe they were pruned down to be covered with the mulch. So even if they are not ready, you may be able to get them to survive the winter?

[Gary350]

I don't know if I can find it now, but there was an article by a Pennsylvania master gardener who wrote about fall-planting potatoes for next year's early new potato harvest to coincide with green pea harvest. I posted the link here a long time ago.

Vaguely remembered technique was to plant in a raised mound to avoid winter water logging and mulch really well 8-10" if I remember. It's ok for the tops to get frosted and die -- or maybe they were pruned down to be covered with the mulch. So even if they are not ready, you may be able to get them to survive the winter?

I have done that, plant potatoes on the high part of a slope then cover them with about 1" of soil. As the plants grow keep covering them up until I have them covered with 12" of soil. Then cover them with straw. If frost kills the surface plants they grow back. The 12" of soil protects the potatoes from freezing. If I plant in Sept I will have potatoes in Dec. We sometimes don't get a hard freeze until after Christmas. I leave potatoes all winter and dig them in spring. This is the best potato crop I can get in TN. I usually get 100s of nice potatoes but nothing larger than 2 1/2" diameter.

I planted potatoes Wednesday weather man said rain but no rain, it has not rained here in 2 1/2 months.

[digitS']

I don't have a problem with having potatoes with peas ... unless, it's the opposite of that Pennsylvania gardener.

Potatoes go into the soil just a few days into April, in a bed I've prepped the year before. After cultivation tasks are a little further along and the soil dries more from winter snow, the pea seed goes in.

Here are some varieties I grow - early potatoes, Potato Garden. There will be plenty available in early July when I have peas.

If anything, I'd like the peas to hurry up and produce about 2 weeks earlier. But, I can only push them so fast in cold, wet soil.

Steve

[jal_ut]

Overwintering potatoes at this locale is out of the question. The ground always freezes and with it any potato. Potatoes can be Spring planted early April. The same time you would plant pea seeds. Have fun!

About hilling potatoes, It is only necessary to pull a couple of inches of soil up around the vine. This simply to keep the expanding tubers from seeing the sun and turning green. Any more than that is a waste of the plants resources.