embrains6699
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Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:59 am
Location: Oman

How do I grow potatoes?

This is the first time I've bothered to try to grow potatoes. What sort of soil do I need? Sandy soil?
How much water do I need?
When do I harvest them?

The potatoes I used had been refrigerated for quite a long time, so will they grow?

Help is very much needed.
Thanx

cynthia_h
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Location: El Cerrito, CA

Another member of the forum and I had a small discussion recently about growing potatoes.

Please look through it and then ask again. I could recommend .edu or .gov websites, but I'm not sure which specific questions you have in mind.

Here's the recent thread:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11181

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

damethod
Senior Member
Posts: 183
Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 12:15 pm
Location: Miami, FL

If they are store bought potatoes, you may not have any luck growing them. I would recommend buying organic or certified seed potatoes. Certified just means that they are free of any diseases that will harm the plants growth.

2cents
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Location: Ohio

you can grow from store bought eating potatoes, they just aren't as productive as seed potatoes.

If they've been in the frig for more than a week, I doubt you will have much luck, it is a temperature moisture issue. Cold dry storage works better for potatoes.

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Reptilicus
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Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:23 pm
Location: So. Georgia, USA

I'll chime in and agree with the organic seed potatoes. I planted from store bought potatoes and had a horrible results compared to the seed potatoes.

Here's a good site that might help you:
https://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C849.htm

I usually make rows of hills and plant the cuts about 6~8 in. apart. I only plant the small red Red Pontiac potatoes.
Hilling is pulling soil up around potato plants. Hilling potatoes once or twice during the season will greatly improve production:

1. The additional loose soil allows the developing tubers to expand easily up into the growing areas.
2. Hilling helps keep the potatoes covered and from emerging through the soil and becoming green from the sun (see "Environmental Problems").
3. Hilling buries and kills weeds around the plants before they become a serious and time-consuming problem.
4. Because rain collects in gardens with heavy soils, blocking the flow of air to the plant roots, a hilled row of potatoes will shed water. Hilling keeps them better drained and more productive because the earth will not pack around the plants.
Hope that helps.

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jal_ut
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Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

embrains6699 wrote:This is the first time I've bothered to try to grow potatoes. What sort of soil do I need? Sandy soil?
How much water do I need?
When do I harvest them?
Potatoes do well in sandy soil that is a little on the acid side.
It is best to keep them uniformly damp, but not soggy.
You may harvest new potatoes about the time you see blossoms on top, or wait until the vines die down. You can often find a tuber by poking your finger in the soil, then just bring up the tuber and leave the plant to grow more.

The potatoes I used had been refrigerated for quite a long time, so will they grow?

Help is very much needed.
Thanx
By this I gather you have already planted them? Ok, just give it some time. Most any potato will sprout if it is in warm soil. You should see them come up in two to three weeks, depending on the soil temperature.

I agree with the others who said that it is best to buy certified seed potatoes for planting. This is to avoid bringing potato diseases into your garden. Supermarket potatoes will grow though.

What hardines zone are you in?

cynthia_h
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Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

The OP is in Oman, in the Middle East.

He may be fighting an uphill battle, trying to grow a tuber ancestrally adapted to cold, dry, mountainous terrain in a hot, dry, desert climate, but it *could* work. I also don't know about getting the potatoes enough water; snowmelt provided the Quechua with water for their potatoes; practically year-round rain provided the Irish with water for theirs. But if the OP has access to sufficient water, he may be able to keep the potatoes from overheating.

Good luck!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9



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