# Potatoes



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

It's time to plant. Dark side of the moon. I've never tried to grow potatoes but tomorrow I'm going for it. Anybody else planting potatoes?


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## salth2o (Sep 21, 2004)

Yes sir! I will be putting some in the ground this week.


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## cajunasian (Mar 7, 2007)

Been in the ground since early fall and just started another batch a few weekends ago.


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## seattleman1969 (Jul 17, 2008)

Never grown them myself but my dad was a wiz at it. Use leaves raked up in the fall or hay as mulch to make it easier to "dig" them. Just watch out for fire ants! Nothing better than fresh new potatoes!


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

I'm in. Probably my favorite thing to raise in the garden....and one of the very best things to eat from the garden.


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## LDL (Jun 10, 2006)

Our garden at work is 200 ft. X 140 ft. . Friday we put in 14 row's of potatoes at 8 in. spaceing between eye's . Truck load of Mushroom dirt should be delivered next week from Monterey Muchroom's in Madisonville Tx.. This is the best growing stuff that there is ! If you want some it's $25 for 5 yd's. you pick-up , so beef up your trailer if you do decide to get some ! Or you can have them deliver a semi load like we're doing .


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

LDL said:


> Our garden at work is 200 ft. X 140 ft. . Friday we put in 14 row's of potatoes at 8 in. spaceing between eye's . Truck load of Mushroom dirt should be delivered next week from Monterey Muchroom's in Madisonville Tx.. This is the best growing stuff that there is ! If you want some it's $25 for 5 yd's. you pick-up , so beef up your trailer if you do decide to get some ! Or you can have them deliver a semi load like we're doing .


Great stuff .The compost is cheap its the cost of trucking the stuff .


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## LDL (Jun 10, 2006)

Our load of compost made it in this morning , now it's time to dig out the tractor and turn it in !


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## Bowhntr (Aug 7, 2006)

Okay now I have never planted Spuds....when or how can you tell when they are ready to harvest??? I have been looking a new potatoes to try as I like them best. Any advise for a newbie?


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

There's several signs..one is after the plants bloom usually the potatoes are large enough to begin eating. Also, if you look around the base of the plant you will see some spuds pushing up the dirt. I like to harvest some small potatoes right along with growing bigger ones. You can just reach down into the soil and "pick" potatoes to eat while letting the big ones grow out...kind of like fishing.

By the time the plants start to yellow and kind of begin to wilt, its time to get the big ones out of the ground. If you ley them stay too long, thay may rot and may also loose some of that unique "new" potatoe taste.


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## Bowhntr (Aug 7, 2006)

Hey thanks Meadowlark for the advise. I just picked up a bag of spuds from Lowes and will try my hand at palting a few. Can you plant them in the large containers that you see small trees in ? will they do good? I have my compost I'm using from grass clippings (the roses love the heck out of that stuff) i did not cover my roses when it snowed and froze here-and my roses never got hurt I just had put more compost around the base and was planning to cover, but forgot. Roses blooming the whole winter-beats buying them. Grow fresh one for my wife-she thinks that is so romantic of me....


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

2x what Meadowlark said. Potato harvest is normally the last week of May - first week of June around here.

Don't dilly-dally on planting them... it's getting kind of late. They are normally planted the last couple of weeks in Feb.



Bowhntr said:


> Can you plant them in the large containers that you see small trees in ? will they do good?


I wouldn't advise it. Plant them in the ground, in either a raised bed or a mound.


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## JPO (Oct 15, 2005)

hes right its gettin kinda late for taters. be a month before they come up. it can still be done though. as far as containers, u can get a black contractor trash bag and fill it up with alot of compost and soil and tie the top tight. put it in the location you want then make some slits in the side of the bag all the way around in diffrent spots. plant ur seed taters in the slits and they will grow out the sides of the bag. the bag works like mulch and retains moisture so theres very little watering needed. at harvest time simply cut the bag open and dump it out. pull out ur taters and mix the remaining mixture into ur garden or fill in a hole in the yard! plant em NOW before it gets too hot


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## Bowhntr (Aug 7, 2006)

Thanks JPO

Never thought about the bag trick-I have two mounds in a raised bed, but will now try this one this weekend to see what happens and to gains more information for next year planting


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Bowhntr said:


> ...I have my compost I'm using from grass clippings (the roses love the heck out of that stuff) ....


Compost is magic!! Best thing you can use in the garden. I always put compost in the hole with the seed potatoe...they love the stuff.

Its really marginal to plant by now, if you haven't done so. I plant last week in January and mine are now up about two inches. They need time in the ground and as mentioned, end of May is the end of the plant because of the heat.


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