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#1
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potato help?
i dug up my first patch of potatoes today. not sure how i went. about 1/4
have (what i assume is) scab. the others look good (if a little peculiarly-shaped :-) but i mainly have humungous ones & little ones. is there any good way to get more medium ones?! the next lot, i am doing in bags with holes & soil & manure inside. i can see where i've got a bit wrong with these ones. thanks for any possible tatie tips forthcoming, spud lovers :-) kylie (we had some with dinner & they are noice!) |
#2
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potato help?
0tterbot wrote:
i dug up my first patch of potatoes today. not sure how i went. about 1/4 have (what i assume is) scab. the others look good (if a little peculiarly-shaped :-) but i mainly have humungous ones & little ones. is there any good way to get more medium ones?! No idea. If you don't want them, then I'll have them {:-). Perhaps add much more organic matter. We seem to be at the same level, but before we added organic matter, all we dug was minute to small stuff. the next lot, i am doing in bags with holes & soil & manure inside. i can see where i've got a bit wrong with these ones. Make sure everything is well composted before you start. I've lost spuddies when I added stuff to compost or planted them in new stuff. |
#3
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potato help?
Terryc wrote:
0tterbot wrote: i dug up my first patch of potatoes today. not sure how i went. about 1/4 have (what i assume is) scab. the others look good (if a little peculiarly-shaped :-) but i mainly have humungous ones & little ones. is there any good way to get more medium ones?! No idea. If you don't want them, then I'll have them {:-). Perhaps add much more organic matter. We seem to be at the same level, but before we added organic matter, all we dug was minute to small stuff. the next lot, i am doing in bags with holes & soil & manure inside. i can see where i've got a bit wrong with these ones. Make sure everything is well composted before you start. I've lost spuddies when I added stuff to compost or planted them in new stuff. This is what I found Potatoes Watering and care For the maximum crop, keep your potato vines well watered throughout the summer, but especially during the period when they are in flower, and immediately thereafter. This is the time when the plant is creating the new tubers, and water is critical. Water early in the day so that the foliage has time to dry completely before evening. (Wet foliage can make your plants more susceptible to several potato diseases.) When foliage turns yellow and dies back, discontinue watering to allow the tubers to "mature" for a week or two before harvesting. Once the vines have passed the critical watering stage while in flower, they will tolerate a certain amount of drought. According to some studies, non-irrigated potatoes are less watery and more healthful. However, potato plants which are not watered regularly will produce a much smaller crop. The Potato Harvest Your may begin to harvest your potatoes 2 to 3-weeks after the plants have finished flowering. At this time you will only find small "baby" potatoes if you were to dig up a plant. Potatoes can be harvested any time after this, by gently loosening the soil, reaching under the plant, and removing the largest tubers, leaving the smaller ones to continue growing. If you want late potatoes for storage, wait 2-3 weeks after the foliage dies back. Carefully begin digging a foot or so outside of the row or mound. Remove the potatoes as you find them. (Be careful not to bruise or cut the tubers with your spade!) If the weather is dry, allow the potatoes to lay on the soil surface, unwashed, for 2-3 days so they can dry. If the weather is wet, or rain is expected, move the harvest to a cool, dry area (like a garage or basement) for the drying period. This drying step is necessary to mature the potato skin, which will protect the potato during storage. If, by the end of September, the plants have not begun to die back, all of the foliage should be cut off to ensure your crop has ample time to mature before winter. Store your undamaged potatoes in a well-ventilated, dark, cool (about 40 degrees) location. Properly dried and stored potatoes should keep well for three to six months. Don't grow potatoes in the same soil more than once in three years. Many diseases and insect pests will survive and remain in this area, in spite of your best eradication efforts! Best of luck |
#4
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potato help?
"Jonno" wrote in message
... Terryc wrote: 0tterbot wrote: i dug up my first patch of potatoes today. not sure how i went. about 1/4 have (what i assume is) scab. the others look good (if a little peculiarly-shaped :-) but i mainly have humungous ones & little ones. is there any good way to get more medium ones?! No idea. If you don't want them, then I'll have them {:-). Perhaps add much more organic matter. We seem to be at the same level, but before we added organic matter, all we dug was minute to small stuff. the next lot, i am doing in bags with holes & soil & manure inside. i can see where i've got a bit wrong with these ones. Make sure everything is well composted before you start. I've lost spuddies when I added stuff to compost or planted them in new stuff. This is what I found Potatoes Watering and care For the maximum crop, keep your potato vines well watered throughout the summer, but especially during the period when they are in flower, and immediately thereafter. This is the time when the plant is creating the new tubers, and water is critical. Water early in the day so that the foliage has time to dry completely before evening. (Wet foliage can make your plants more susceptible to several potato diseases.) When foliage turns yellow and dies back, discontinue watering to allow the tubers to "mature" for a week or two before harvesting. Once the vines have passed the critical watering stage while in flower, they will tolerate a certain amount of drought. According to some studies, non-irrigated potatoes are less watery and more healthful. However, potato plants which are not watered regularly will produce a much smaller crop. The Potato Harvest Your may begin to harvest your potatoes 2 to 3-weeks after the plants have finished flowering. At this time you will only find small "baby" potatoes if you were to dig up a plant. Potatoes can be harvested any time after this, by gently loosening the soil, reaching under the plant, and removing the largest tubers, leaving the smaller ones to continue growing. If you want late potatoes for storage, wait 2-3 weeks after the foliage dies back. Carefully begin digging a foot or so outside of the row or mound. Remove the potatoes as you find them. (Be careful not to bruise or cut the tubers with your spade!) If the weather is dry, allow the potatoes to lay on the soil surface, unwashed, for 2-3 days so they can dry. If the weather is wet, or rain is expected, move the harvest to a cool, dry area (like a garage or basement) for the drying period. This drying step is necessary to mature the potato skin, which will protect the potato during storage. If, by the end of September, the plants have not begun to die back, all of the foliage should be cut off to ensure your crop has ample time to mature before winter. Store your undamaged potatoes in a well-ventilated, dark, cool (about 40 degrees) location. Properly dried and stored potatoes should keep well for three to six months. Don't grow potatoes in the same soil more than once in three years. Many diseases and insect pests will survive and remain in this area, in spite of your best eradication efforts! Best of luck hmm... thanks! kylie |
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