Lets talk potatoes!

[nat777]

Hey all

Iv plannted some potatoes back in march or april in some grow bags and they've grows soo much and the stalks are HUUGGEE!! and one of the bags has bloomed some flowers and now i don't know wat to do, do i yank them out or should i leave them?

[Buckshot]

It is hard to say without knowing what kind of potatoes, how far apart your plants were planted and the weather in your area.If the plants are flowering you can pick early potatoes. if you want bigger potatoes then leave them alone. If your soil drains well you could leave the potatoes in the soil for months after the plant dies and they should store just fine until you need them. are you mounding your plants? they will put on more potatoes if you cover the plant except the last few inches as it grows.

[opabinia51]

If light actually hits the actual potatoes they will turn green and become poisonos so, don't eat them if that happens.

It sounds like you are growing them in bags? Try sticking them in the soil like the above poster has reccommended

[nat777]

one thing i wanna ask, since my stalks are blooming with flowers and that would it be ok to trim the stalks abit cause there HUGE!!! and i cant see the bag at all! xx

[opabinia51]

I guess you could a bit if you wanted to but, the whole point in growing potatoes is that the potatoes themselves grow underground and it doesn't matter if the ground is shaded.

In your case, I would think that the shading done by the plants would be good because it would keep the sun away from the bags.

Also are you using black or dark coloured bags? If so, the thermal energy created from the sun being absorbed into the bags could cause the potaotes to rot.

Just a thought.

Good Luck with your experiment!

[doccat5]

If you are growing in bags, you need to make sure you have good drainage, tater's don't like getting their feet wet!

Do NOT cut the stalks! They are making more potatoes, cover the stalks with more material, either leaves, straw or soil and let them keep growing.

Here's an article I wrote on growing potatoes on the ground that may help you a bit, I hope

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/435/

Good luck, fresh homegrown taters are yummy!