Planting potatoes
 

"Victoria Heisner" wrote in message
...
Hi;
About a month ago, or so, I planted a bunch of seed potatoes that I had
gotten from Johnny's and Burpee. When I planted them, I simply took them
out of the fridge, and planted them whole. After all this time, nothing
has shown up above ground, so I dug one up, and found that it looked
exactly the way it did when I planted it. If I had peeled it, I could have
made mashed potatoes, or fried potatoes.

Is there anything I should have done to the seed potato before planting
it?
They were small enough, and this is my first try, so I didn't cut any
eyes.

The varieties are Red Gold, Yukon Gold, and Kennebec. My soil is clay,
and
I rototilled, and added (so far) 1" of composted manure (Moo Doo), and
some
Complete Organic Fertilizer (cottonseed meal, lime, kelp meal, rock
phosphate). Also, I live in Zone 5, Central-Southern Vermont. This is my
first garden.

Thanks,
Vicki

They will sprout, your soil temps may still be a little low.

I'm in the south and plant potatoes 1st of February and
they are blooming now.

I usually cut the potatoes into eyes (even the small ones)
a couple of days before planting and let them dry some
before planting, this seems to trigger a quicker sprouting
response.

basilisk

Planting potatoes
 

Hi;
About a month ago, or so, I planted a bunch of seed potatoes that I had
gotten from Johnny's and Burpee. When I planted them, I simply took them
out of the fridge, and planted them whole. After all this time, nothing
has shown up above ground, so I dug one up, and found that it looked
exactly the way it did when I planted it. If I had peeled it, I could have
made mashed potatoes, or fried potatoes.

Is there anything I should have done to the seed potato before planting it?
They were small enough, and this is my first try, so I didn't cut any eyes.

The varieties are Red Gold, Yukon Gold, and Kennebec. My soil is clay, and
I rototilled, and added (so far) 1" of composted manure (Moo Doo), and some
Complete Organic Fertilizer (cottonseed meal, lime, kelp meal, rock
phosphate). Also, I live in Zone 5, Central-Southern Vermont. This is my
first garden.

Thanks,
Vicki

Planting potatoes
 

In article ,
says...
Hi;
About a month ago, or so, I planted a bunch of seed potatoes that I had
gotten from Johnny's and Burpee. When I planted them, I simply took them
out of the fridge, and planted them whole. After all this time, nothing
has shown up above ground, so I dug one up, and found that it looked
exactly the way it did when I planted it. If I had peeled it, I could have
made mashed potatoes, or fried potatoes.

Is there anything I should have done to the seed potato before planting it?
They were small enough, and this is my first try, so I didn't cut any eyes.

The varieties are Red Gold, Yukon Gold, and Kennebec. My soil is clay, and
I rototilled, and added (so far) 1" of composted manure (Moo Doo), and some
Complete Organic Fertilizer (cottonseed meal, lime, kelp meal, rock
phosphate). Also, I live in Zone 5, Central-Southern Vermont. This is my
first garden.

Thanks,
Vicki


We are zone 5, Ontario. We planted on April 26th.

The potatoes were 1" above the soil on May 12 when they got a little
frosted. The plants are fine now 4-6" tall and due for another 2" of
soil. We are on sandy loam.

Yours will grow. --We get volunteers from missed potatoes all the time
but there is no predicting when.

I wonder if you're planting too deep. Basilisk has already noted the
issue of soil temperature. Clay is probably going to be cold.

We dig a trench about 8 inches deep then plant the potato 3 inches deep
in the bottom of the trench. As the plant grows upward we fill in the
trench a bit at a time until you reach ground level. (I keep saying we,
but my wife is the *real gardener* and I absorb knowledge and bask in
reflected glory.)

Trenching answers linked issues: depth, soil temperature, and tubers
will grow from the length of buried stem.

I'm not suggesting that you replant them, but adding this to your
repertoire may be useful.

Find Eliot Coleman's "Four-Season Harvest." (He's from Maine.) -Your
local library may have a copy.

Planting potatoes
 

I'd suggest just giving them time, I'm another zone 5 Victoria, and the red
potatoes I planted in a *huge* pile of leaves took a while to sprout, to the
point I thought maybe they weren't going to do anything, but now they're
coming up in like 7 different locations, and one clump looks like there's
gonna be a nice haul from them. And I'm gonna plant Yukon Golds
tomorrow(they're my mother's favorite), and got some russets today to plant
as well. We also have All Blue potatoes doing nicely. I love homemade potato
chips :-)

"Victoria Heisner" wrote in message
...
Hi;
About a month ago, or so, I planted a bunch of seed potatoes that I had
gotten from Johnny's and Burpee. When I planted them, I simply took them
out of the fridge, and planted them whole. After all this time, nothing
has shown up above ground, so I dug one up, and found that it looked
exactly the way it did when I planted it. If I had peeled it, I could have
made mashed potatoes, or fried potatoes.

Is there anything I should have done to the seed potato before planting
it?
They were small enough, and this is my first try, so I didn't cut any
eyes.

The varieties are Red Gold, Yukon Gold, and Kennebec. My soil is clay,
and
I rototilled, and added (so far) 1" of composted manure (Moo Doo), and
some
Complete Organic Fertilizer (cottonseed meal, lime, kelp meal, rock
phosphate). Also, I live in Zone 5, Central-Southern Vermont. This is my
first garden.

Thanks,
Vicki

Planting potatoes
 

"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"basilisk" wrote:

"Victoria Heisner" wrote in message
...
Hi;
About a month ago, or so, I planted a bunch of seed potatoes that I had
gotten from Johnny's and Burpee. When I planted them, I simply took
them
out of the fridge, and planted them whole. After all this time,
nothing
has shown up above ground, so I dug one up, and found that it looked
exactly the way it did when I planted it. If I had peeled it, I could
have
made mashed potatoes, or fried potatoes.

Is there anything I should have done to the seed potato before planting
it?
They were small enough, and this is my first try, so I didn't cut any
eyes.

The varieties are Red Gold, Yukon Gold, and Kennebec. My soil is clay,
and
I rototilled, and added (so far) 1" of composted manure (Moo Doo), and
some
Complete Organic Fertilizer (cottonseed meal, lime, kelp meal, rock
phosphate). Also, I live in Zone 5, Central-Southern Vermont. This is
my
first garden.

Thanks,
Vicki

They will sprout, your soil temps may still be a little low.

I'm in the south and plant potatoes 1st of February and
they are blooming now.

I usually cut the potatoes into eyes (even the small ones)
a couple of days before planting and let them dry some
before planting, this seems to trigger a quicker sprouting
response.

basilisk

This is the recommended method for planting potatoes. Don't cut the eyes
too small though. When you cut the potatoes, it is recommended that you
put some sulfur powder on the cuts to prevent spoilage. Needless to say,
the more sand and organic material (up to 30% and 15% respectively) you
can put into the clay soil, the better your crop will be. Manure is
supposed to be bad for potatoes, so you may want to use fish emulsion on
your plants.

My dogs took out all my potato plants last year but this year they (the
potatoes) rose next to this years planting.

I have never used the sulfur on the cuts but it makes sense that it would
help in damp weather.

My mix for potatoes is roughly 1/3 topsoil, 1/3 composted horse and
quail manure mix(nitrogen) and 1/3 rotten pine bark fines(acidifys).
This has worked well for me, so I can't say that I have had any problem
with manure, but it is well composted and I just add to the mix every
year and don't replace it.

I also lost some potatoes due to chickens last year, the meals gravitated
from potato to a more chicken oriented menu, so it worked out for the best.
I don't suggest you eat the dogs though.

One thing that may have helped the OP, that I should have mentioned was
that she could cover the ground at night to help hold in some of the daytime
heat.

basilisk

Planting potatoes
 

In article ,
"basilisk" wrote:

"Victoria Heisner" wrote in message
...
Hi;
About a month ago, or so, I planted a bunch of seed potatoes that I had
gotten from Johnny's and Burpee. When I planted them, I simply took them
out of the fridge, and planted them whole. After all this time, nothing
has shown up above ground, so I dug one up, and found that it looked
exactly the way it did when I planted it. If I had peeled it, I could have
made mashed potatoes, or fried potatoes.

Is there anything I should have done to the seed potato before planting
it?
They were small enough, and this is my first try, so I didn't cut any
eyes.

The varieties are Red Gold, Yukon Gold, and Kennebec. My soil is clay,
and
I rototilled, and added (so far) 1" of composted manure (Moo Doo), and
some
Complete Organic Fertilizer (cottonseed meal, lime, kelp meal, rock
phosphate). Also, I live in Zone 5, Central-Southern Vermont. This is my
first garden.

Thanks,
Vicki

They will sprout, your soil temps may still be a little low.

I'm in the south and plant potatoes 1st of February and
they are blooming now.

I usually cut the potatoes into eyes (even the small ones)
a couple of days before planting and let them dry some
before planting, this seems to trigger a quicker sprouting
response.

basilisk

This is the recommended method for planting potatoes. Don't cut the eyes
too small though. When you cut the potatoes, it is recommended that you
put some sulfur powder on the cuts to prevent spoilage. Needless to say,
the more sand and organic material (up to 30% and 15% respectively) you
can put into the clay soil, the better your crop will be. Manure is
supposed to be bad for potatoes, so you may want to use fish emulsion on
your plants.

My dogs took out all my potato plants last year but this year they (the
potatoes) rose next to this years planting.
--

- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being
is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the
moment of conception until death." - Rachel Carson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En2TzBE0lp4

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html

Planting potatoes
 

In article ,
"basilisk" wrote:

"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"basilisk" wrote:

"Victoria Heisner" wrote in message
...
Hi;
About a month ago, or so, I planted a bunch of seed potatoes that I had
gotten from Johnny's and Burpee. When I planted them, I simply took
them
out of the fridge, and planted them whole. After all this time,
nothing
has shown up above ground, so I dug one up, and found that it looked
exactly the way it did when I planted it. If I had peeled it, I could
have
made mashed potatoes, or fried potatoes.

Is there anything I should have done to the seed potato before planting
it?
They were small enough, and this is my first try, so I didn't cut any
eyes.

The varieties are Red Gold, Yukon Gold, and Kennebec. My soil is clay,
and
I rototilled, and added (so far) 1" of composted manure (Moo Doo), and
some
Complete Organic Fertilizer (cottonseed meal, lime, kelp meal, rock
phosphate). Also, I live in Zone 5, Central-Southern Vermont. This is
my
first garden.

Thanks,
Vicki

They will sprout, your soil temps may still be a little low.

I'm in the south and plant potatoes 1st of February and
they are blooming now.

I usually cut the potatoes into eyes (even the small ones)
a couple of days before planting and let them dry some
before planting, this seems to trigger a quicker sprouting
response.

basilisk

This is the recommended method for planting potatoes. Don't cut the eyes
too small though. When you cut the potatoes, it is recommended that you
put some sulfur powder on the cuts to prevent spoilage. Needless to say,
the more sand and organic material (up to 30% and 15% respectively) you
can put into the clay soil, the better your crop will be. Manure is
supposed to be bad for potatoes, so you may want to use fish emulsion on
your plants.

My dogs took out all my potato plants last year but this year they (the
potatoes) rose next to this years planting.

I have never used the sulfur on the cuts but it makes sense that it would
help in damp weather.

My mix for potatoes is roughly 1/3 topsoil, 1/3 composted horse and
quail manure mix(nitrogen) and 1/3 rotten pine bark fines(acidifys).
This has worked well for me, so I can't say that I have had any problem
with manure, but it is well composted and I just add to the mix every
year and don't replace it.

I also lost some potatoes due to chickens last year, the meals gravitated
from potato to a more chicken oriented menu, so it worked out for the best.
I don't suggest you eat the dogs though.

One thing that may have helped the OP, that I should have mentioned was
that she could cover the ground at night to help hold in some of the daytime
heat.

basilisk

This is all I know about growing potatoes. So far it seems to work.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...-Potatoes.aspx
--

- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being
is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the
moment of conception until death." - Rachel Carson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En2TzBE0lp4

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html

Planting potatoes
 

There's a pre-planting technique for potatoes which involves giving
them some sunlight before you pop them into the ground. What happens
is the eyes begin to develop; I usually don't wait until they develop
sprouts, but green buds (I've forgotten the name of the technique -
chitting?). I also don't bother cutting them up, since my local
greenhouse has 5lbs bags for less than $5.00 and no S&H charges.

I get a few (2-4) varieties and usually have enough to do a mid-season
sowing once summer gets here.

So what happens for me is that usually within a week I get leaves
poking up. After plants have 8-12 inches showing they get their first
feeding and hilling.

Planting potatoes
 

On May 30, 6:36�am, gonzo wrote:
There's a pre-planting technique for potatoes which involves giving
them some sunlight before you pop them into the ground. �What happens
is the eyes begin to develop; I usually don't wait until they develop
sprouts, but green buds (I've forgotten the name of the technique -
chitting?). �I also don't bother cutting them up, since my local
greenhouse has 5lbs bags for less than $5.00 and no S&H charges.

I get a few (2-4) varieties and usually have enough to do a mid-season
sowing once summer gets here.

So what happens for me is that usually within a week I get leaves
poking up. �After plants have 8-12 inches showing they get their first
feeding and hilling.

My neighbor gave me one seed potato (red, I think). I cut it into
four pieces and planted them about 2" deep five weeks ago in a double-
dug bed. They are now robust bouquets two feet across here in zone 17.

Planting potatoes
 

basilisk wrote:


"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"basilisk" wrote:

"Victoria Heisner" wrote in message
...
Hi;
About a month ago, or so, I planted a bunch of seed potatoes that I
had
gotten from Johnny's and Burpee. When I planted them, I simply took
them
out of the fridge, and planted them whole. After all this time,
nothing
has shown up above ground, so I dug one up, and found that it looked
exactly the way it did when I planted it. If I had peeled it, I could
have
made mashed potatoes, or fried potatoes.

Is there anything I should have done to the seed potato before
planting it?
They were small enough, and this is my first try, so I didn't cut any
eyes.

The varieties are Red Gold, Yukon Gold, and Kennebec. My soil is
clay, and
I rototilled, and added (so far) 1" of composted manure (Moo Doo), and
some
Complete Organic Fertilizer (cottonseed meal, lime, kelp meal, rock
phosphate). Also, I live in Zone 5, Central-Southern Vermont. This is
my
first garden.

Thanks,
Vicki

They will sprout, your soil temps may still be a little low.

I'm in the south and plant potatoes 1st of February and
they are blooming now.

I usually cut the potatoes into eyes (even the small ones)
a couple of days before planting and let them dry some
before planting, this seems to trigger a quicker sprouting
response.

basilisk

This is the recommended method for planting potatoes. Don't cut the eyes
too small though. When you cut the potatoes, it is recommended that you
put some sulfur powder on the cuts to prevent spoilage. Needless to say,
the more sand and organic material (up to 30% and 15% respectively) you
can put into the clay soil, the better your crop will be. Manure is
supposed to be bad for potatoes, so you may want to use fish emulsion on
your plants.

My dogs took out all my potato plants last year but this year they (the
potatoes) rose next to this years planting.

I have never used the sulfur on the cuts but it makes sense that it would
help in damp weather.

My mix for potatoes is roughly 1/3 topsoil, 1/3 composted horse and
quail manure mix(nitrogen) and 1/3 rotten pine bark fines(acidifys).
This has worked well for me, so I can't say that I have had any problem
with manure, but it is well composted and I just add to the mix every
year and don't replace it.

I also lost some potatoes due to chickens last year, the meals gravitated
from potato to a more chicken oriented menu, so it worked out for the
best. I don't suggest you eat the dogs though.

One thing that may have helped the OP, that I should have mentioned was
that she could cover the ground at night to help hold in some of the
daytime heat.

basilisk

Thanks, basilisk, and everybody else who posted such useful information.
The Red Golds, and the Kennebecs are now tall enough that the plants touch
each other. Soon I'll be hilling them. And the Yukon Golds are a few
inches tall too. So, everything did sprout, eventually.

Thanks again,
Vicki