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late spuds

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2006
by markr on March 17, 2006 08:40 AM
for one reason or another i didnt lift my last row of maincrop potatoes last autum.
i ran out of my stored spuds, so yesterday i went out to check a root.
well i didnt expect that i would find much, apart from frost damaged or sprouted rejects.
well i didnt find neither! so i dug the whole row up and took them home.
i didnt think they kept in the ground that long.
this time last year i had already planted my earlies, not done them yet this year because its been so cold.
as they say you learn somthing new each day!

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Mark
by comfrey on March 17, 2006 09:06 AM
Haven't planted mine yet either, it is the right time here to plant them, But my soil is too wet to plant right now and more rain predicted for tomarrow. That is good to know about being able to store your potatoes that long in the ground. What variety did you grow?

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by markr on March 17, 2006 09:36 AM
they were called valour.
i think they were a new variety, i grew them for the first time last year.
i wont be growing them this year because my others tasted better and they had a higher yield!
still better than the ones we get from the supermarket though!!!

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Mark
by comfrey on March 17, 2006 09:44 AM
Any home grown potatoe is definately better then store bought. I didn't grow enough last year, and we had to finally buy a bag at the grocery store...$4.00 for a 10 pound bag....I hated having to pay that much for a bag of store bought taters, I'll be growing more this year...I like the red pontiac and thats what i already have to put out this year. I had 2-45 foot rows last year, and this year it will be 3 rows. [Big Grin] And it still will proable not be enough.

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by markr on March 17, 2006 10:10 AM
its strange all the gardening books ive read tell you how to grow spuds, then they finish off by saying there not worth growing because there so cheap to buy!!
they forget to say about the flavour though...
i planted 4-32 foot rows of earlies and 6 rows of maincrop.
i gave loads away, so i know how many to do this year,

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Mark
by comfrey on March 20, 2006 11:24 AM
Potatoes use to be alot cheaper at the supermarket then they are right now. The "old timers" use to grow all of theirs, and save some in the cellar or in the ground in a lined hole. They would use some of these stored potatoes each year to replant the next year... How does that make it cheaper to buy at grocery store [nutz] Anyway if you don't save a few for seed potatoes, it is still cheaper to grow your own (not counting your labor) I spent $7.00 for 21 pounds of seed potatoes...So if my calculations are right...I'll have way more then three rows. [Big Grin] [Big Grin]

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by detectorbill on March 20, 2006 11:34 AM
Th man reason I'm getting back into the garden kick this year is because of all the money we spend on potatoes. I have a large family and we eat potatoes almost everynight! We go through 10-15 lbs a week! I can't wait for my taters this year. I'm thinking of planting more if the heat don't get to bad.

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I feel more like I do now than I did before I ever felt this way.
by detectorbill on March 20, 2006 11:38 AM
MAIN!!! opps!

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I feel more like I do now than I did before I ever felt this way.
by markr on March 21, 2006 08:07 AM
ive just put my earlies in trays in the greenhouse.
im still not sure which maincrop to get this year, i keep looking through the catalouges and they all sound good!

Comfrey 21lb should keep you going a fair while!

Detectorbill 10-15lb a week' good job my wife aint peeling them, you would need 20-30lb..

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Mark
by Amigatec on March 21, 2006 09:21 AM
I planted 10 lbs last year and dug up about 30. I thought that was good.

Also I canned some new potatoes with green beans and they sure were good. I plan to do it again this year.

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One OS to rule them, one OS to find them:
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.
by Bestofour on March 21, 2006 10:11 AM
Is is time to plant potatoes? I wait until after frost. But I'm game.

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by Amigatec on March 21, 2006 10:14 AM
I was always told St Patrick's day is the time to plant 'taters.

I planted mine (Yukon Gold) 3 weeks ago.

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One OS to rule them, one OS to find them:
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.
by comfrey on March 21, 2006 12:00 PM
Yep..I have always tried to plant around St Patricks day also, I'm late this year and it has been raining for two days now...It will take at least a week of sunny weather before it is hopefully dry enough for me to plant. Sheri...Where you are you could be planting yours also. Coldness doesn't matter as long as the ground doesn't freeze hard.

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by Bestofour on March 22, 2006 09:11 AM
Thank you. I've got my space cleaned out already but it's raining now so maybe in a few days.

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by Amigatec on March 22, 2006 09:59 AM
I planted White Cobblers last year and liked them. They are supposed to the Potato to judge all potatoes by.

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One OS to rule them, one OS to find them:
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.
by markr on March 22, 2006 10:11 AM
white cobblers, yukon gold!
ive not heard of them over here, i would like be able to compare them to mine, its a long way to go to do a taste test though!

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Mark
by Amigatec on March 22, 2006 10:18 AM
I like to try different kinds of stuff from year to year.

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One OS to rule them, one OS to find them:
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.
by markr on March 22, 2006 10:27 AM
i think im going to try some of the older varieties of maincrop this year, a lot date back more than 60 years, at least they've stood the test of time!

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Mark
by comfrey on March 22, 2006 10:57 AM
The yukon gold are very tasty taters, they have more of a yellow color when cooked. But I prefer my red taters they seem to have a sweeter taste. I wouldn't mind trying some other kinds, but I don't want to have to pay the price they want for some of them, so I just settle for the choices the local co-op offers, much cheaper and you can pick out the ones you want. One year I picked out all small taters and planted them whole, then I realized the big ones could be cut up into pieces and you actually end up with more and the yield seemed to me to be about the same. Does anyone treat the potato pieces before planting??? My Mom always dusts hers with sulfur, she says it keeps them from rotting and also keeps the pests away from. Knock on wood I have never had a problem with pest's when it comes to taters, no not even potato bugs, But I always plant my beans and taters next to each other and they seem to keep each other pest free.

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by Amigatec on March 22, 2006 11:01 AM
I cut mine and let them dry for a day or two. Last year I had several that did nothing, when I dug them up they were just like I planted them. But last year the tiller broke down so they sat cut for about 3 weeks before planting.

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One OS to rule them, one OS to find them:
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.
by Bestofour on March 23, 2006 08:27 AM
I've got some purple potatoes that a friend gave me to try. Johnny is supposed to plant them tomorrow.

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by Amigatec on March 23, 2006 08:41 AM
I have seem pictures of them but never tried any.

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One OS to rule them, one OS to find them:
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.
by Bestofour on March 23, 2006 08:43 AM
This is a first for me too.

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 - http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour  -
by Xetox on April 28, 2006 02:45 AM
I have a question, I planted my tators last weekend. Well not knowing to me it rained for 4 days after that day....now the ground is soaked and they are saying we are only going to have one day of sunshine. Then a couple more days of rain. Is this going to be a problem?

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I hate those dang rabbits [Smile]
by Xetox on April 28, 2006 02:48 AM
I did cut them, then let them sit for a couple days before I put them into the ground.

Also I planed seeds the same day, I hope this rain has not messed everything.

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I hate those dang rabbits [Smile]
by markr on April 28, 2006 12:33 PM
I cant see it being a problem!
if you dont want that rain send it over here, i could do with some.

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Mark
by Xetox on April 29, 2006 06:37 AM
Hey mark you can have it...they are calling for flash floods in my area, flash flood warnings till tomorrow morn...

Just my luck, get the garden planted and it will all wash away: [Smile]

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I hate those dang rabbits [Smile]
by markr on April 29, 2006 07:07 AM
well at long last ive got my main crop in, i did 4 rows of 30, not as many as last year!
guess i'll just have to give em more water to make up for it.
also today ive got the first of my earlies come through!

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Mark

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