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

 



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.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html

 



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/Organic-Gardening/Growing-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.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html