When are my taters gonna tater?

[LindsayArthurRTR]

First year I've grown potatoes...nice, pretty top growth! They are just starting to bloom. I dug one up today, thinking I would at least have some little taters... But there was nuthin! Just big roots and fine roots. Nothing even resembling a potato Are they gonna do anything? I planted them in late April, when I shoulda planted in early march they aren't particularly riddled with pests. They look really nice on top actually . I looked at several articles about growing potato, but none go really in depth about what stages you can harvest.

[rainbowgardener]

Sorry to hear that... This is my first year for growing potatoes too, so I don't know the answer to that question. I've been watching mine and so tempted to dig down and see what's happening. But I only have a few in a big container and I don't want to mess them up, so I'm resisting the temptation. Mine look nice and healthy but haven't even started blooming yet.

Hopefully one of the people with potato experience will come by soon!

[applestar]

It depends on the variety you planted -- I believe they range from 90~120 days, but the usual tip is to dig for small new potatoes when the flowers fade (I.e. finishes blooming and drops flowers). They take a fair amount of water too, so don't let them dry out but be sure the soil is well draining.

[LindsayArthurRTR]

Oh good! I'm hoping I am just too early! We have been gettin ALOT of rain here! I was starting to get worried we were getting too much The soil is pretty loamy, it's not muddy, but it's moist They are just starting to bloom. I have 2 cultivars, Irish white and yellow fingerling I'm very excited! Thank you! (btw, I loved looking at your rice bed pictures! Very inspirational.)

[ronbre]

yes new potatoes when the flowers fade and then the big crop when the tops die down in the fall..

[LindsayArthurRTR]

Yeah! I really can't wait

[Ozark Lady]

Hmmm, seems that my potatoes have a bit of "help".

[img]https://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww281/Ozark_Lady/000_0343_phixr.jpg[/img]

What benefit is locust going to do for potatoes? Maybe none?

[LindsayArthurRTR]

HAHAaaaa! Squish IT!! (Ewwwwww...shivers)

[rainbowgardener]

I only know this from reading OL's posts for a long time, but I'm thinking she meant locust the tree, not locust the bug.. the two lighter green plants in the center are likely baby locust trees.

But I'm thinking that whatever the tree equivalent of squish them is, it still applies. It seems like you have plenty of locust trees else where. I know we talked about locust as a nitrogen fixer:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=134307&highlight=locust#134307

but whatever good it does that way seems way outweighed by shading the potato plants from the sun they need. So I guess you could leave them as long as the potato plants are taller. If the locusts start outgrowing/ shading the potatoes, cut the locust off at the soil line and leave the roots to rot and feed the ground....

I'm making all this up as I go along you know!

[Ozark Lady]

Yes, baby locust trees. And squish them? They are a bit spiny! But, I just can't see how nitrogen fixing in the potato bed will help?

The potatoes should easily outgrow the locust trees. Locust only grows 2' per year. It is just that I will forget they are there, and when the potato tops die back, and I go to harvest, ouch!
Too bad they aren't growing somewhere that needs alot of nitrogen!

I didn't get really good sprouting of the potatoes, hence the open areas. But, that still doesn't give locust an invitation to grow there!

[applestar]

OL, you could always dig them up and transplant them where they're more needed. (I write this knowing it's probably more trouble than it's worth )

One of the leading permacultur(ist?) plants a N-fixer in same planting hole as a fruit tree. I have an experiment going along the same lines by sowing a bush bean in the same container as an Avocado seedling.

[Ozark Lady]

I think that I would prefer to grow field peas with the fruit trees.

At least they aren't spiny!

I just pulled about a dozen baby locust trees out of my snap peas.

I tell ya, locust is the worst weed that I have! I do have other weeds, but once you pull the others they are gone forever. The locust just keep coming back forever!

Something doesn't make sense here. I tested the soil, and was low in nitrogen. If locust is such a nitrogen plant, and is everywhere, what is the deal? Do the test kits just not pick up organic nitrogen? Is there such a thing as organic nitrogen versus chemical nitrogen?

But if locust increase nitrogen, and I have alot of them, why is my nitrogen low?

[LindsayArthurRTR]

Oh GAHhhhh I've never even heard of locust trees! I did however plant pole beans with my silver queen blocks this year! First time with interplanting They both look great! The beans are climbing the corn and the corn is at least as high as me! I planted blocks of sunflowers between blocks of corn, and they are WAY over my head (5'8")!!! No flowers yet, but the beans are climbing them just the same!

Even more potato flowers today!!!

I have for 3 days now, noticed a toad! I hope he is a regular resident of the garden! He is really lovin whatever is on the potatoes. I have tried relocating him to the squash and cucumbers, (that's where the bugs are putting the most pressure,) but he keeps going back to the taters every time. All I see on them is hover flies I hope it's not eating those!

[Ozark Lady]

Sad news, I just found cutworms in my potatoes, they were in the tops, and curled leaves around them.
I pinched out alot of the tops and stomped them, but as soon as they are out of the sun, it is time to spray some Bt on them.
I had already found some on the cabbages, and tomatoes, so today is spray that worm day!

[LindsayArthurRTR]

Do frogs eat those?

[applestar]

OL, the nitrogen is locked up in the -- drawing a blank here -- little nodules on the roots made by the N fixing bacteria. As the roots break down, the N is release into the soil. If you pull them up by the roots -- or try it with clover or peas, you should see a whole bunch of these nodules.

The reason you want to plant N fixing TREE (or at least shrub) with fruit trees is that the roots will go down DEEP where the fruit tree roots will grow. Field peas will only affect the soil as deep as THEIR roots grow.