On 30 Apr 2004 08:10:40 -0700, simy1 wrote:


ground) and 500 of open garden (seasonal and warm weather stuff). To
that, I would add another 500 sqft of "storable" garden (potatoes,
winter squash, bush peas, garlic, onions, favas).


consider container growing for potatoes. the crop is supposed to be
multiplied greatly when grown this way.

see www.irish-eyes.com . in the growing guide you will see instructions for
producing 100 lbs of potatoes in FOUR SQUARE FEET. the method allows for
easy continuous harvest. i wonder if it will work for sweet potatoes.

you will find similar info on agricultural college sites.

b.s.

wrote in message ...
On 30 Apr 2004 08:10:40 -0700, simy1 wrote:


ground) and 500 of open garden (seasonal and warm weather stuff). To
that, I would add another 500 sqft of "storable" garden (potatoes,
winter squash, bush peas, garlic, onions, favas).


consider container growing for potatoes. the crop is supposed to be
multiplied greatly when grown this way.

see www.irish-eyes.com . in the growing guide you will see
instructions for
producing 100 lbs of potatoes in FOUR SQUARE FEET. the method allows
for
easy continuous harvest. i wonder if it will work for sweet potatoes.

you will find similar info on agricultural college sites.

b.s.

When you have excess acreage, the thing you try to optimize is yield per
(cost + time) rather than yield per acre.

I have about twenty-five pounds of potatoes that are rapidly growing
sprouts. They're going to go into the ground as soon as we take
possession of our land.


Ray

In article , wrote:
consider container growing for potatoes. the crop is supposed to be
multiplied greatly when grown this way.
see www.irish-eyes.com . in the growing guide you will see instructions for
producing 100 lbs of potatoes in FOUR SQUARE FEET. the method allows for
easy continuous harvest. i wonder if it will work for sweet potatoes.

Interesting... say, here's a question about potatoes:

I've noticed that red potatoes grown here in California are
pale-skinned and flavourless. Quite unlike the good red potatoes from
North Dakota and Washington.

So when I planted some "eyes", I used good Washington potatoes.

But they *produced* typical pale bland California potatoes -- yuck!

So appears it's a soil, water, or climate issue (SoCal desert), rather
than a variety issue. Any thoughts?

As a side effect, they also produced literally hundreds of half-inch
nubbins which were impossible to dig out, all of which sprouted this
spring. So now I have this patch of volunteers which apparently don't
mind that I'm not watering them, in the hope that they'll dry up and
go away. g

~REZ~

"Ray Drouillard" wrote in message ...

When you have excess acreage, the thing you try to optimize is yield per
(cost + time) rather than yield per acre.

true even with one acre. My deer have a runway not five feet from two
of my potato rows and don't touch them (so far, three years running...
they have destroyed my sunchokes patch 50 ft away though). I plant the
potatoes in rows where I don't want to mow, like where I have trees in
a row. All I do is put the potato down, cover with one foot of
woodchips, and show up in august for harvest. Very low yield, mostly
because I neither water nor fertilize, but the yield per unit of
effort is great.


I have about twenty-five pounds of potatoes that are rapidly growing
sprouts. They're going to go into the ground as soon as we take
possession of our land.


Ray

On Sun, 02 May 2004 18:05:42 GMT, (Rez)
wrote:

In article , wrote:
consider container growing for potatoes. the crop is supposed to be
multiplied greatly when grown this way.
see www.irish-eyes.com . in the growing guide you will see instructions for
producing 100 lbs of potatoes in FOUR SQUARE FEET. the method allows for
easy continuous harvest. i wonder if it will work for sweet potatoes.

Interesting... say, here's a question about potatoes:

I've noticed that red potatoes grown here in California are
pale-skinned and flavourless. Quite unlike the good red potatoes from
North Dakota and Washington.

So when I planted some "eyes", I used good Washington potatoes.

Were they cut up .. one eye to the chunk or did you plant smaller
whole potatoes?


But they *produced* typical pale bland California potatoes -- yuck!

Did you let them dry up or just dig them while the vines were still
green? In california they might just keep growing and growing if you
didn't withdraw water and then make sure no more got to them...
because they will start growing again, making bumps on the already
existing potatoes and some small new ones could form.

So appears it's a soil, water, or climate issue (SoCal desert), rather
than a variety issue. Any thoughts?

Certainly growing conditions affect the outcome, water.. and too much
of it will make anemic potatoes, if you suspect there is something
missing from the soil, have it tested.

The variety you're growing is the biggest difference .. there is an
early red.. norland I think.. and it doesn't have good flavor, very
anemic even grown here in Idaho! (at least in my opinion). Pontiacs
are a later variety, better keeper, MUCH better flavor. I grew some
Levitt's pink..red skin and pink flesh, it was very tasty. Sangre are
a russet skinned red, a bit more mealy than what most of us think of
as reds.. waxy moist.

As a side effect, they also produced literally hundreds of half-inch
nubbins which were impossible to dig out, all of which sprouted this
spring. So now I have this patch of volunteers which apparently don't
mind that I'm not watering them, in the hope that they'll dry up and
go away. g

Well you could hill with soil or mulch some of them, don't water them
and see what they produce with just the natural water. They produce
tubers above the level of the "seed" piece, so you might as well get
something out of them if you can, they may be better dryer.

In the future, be sure to know precisely what variety you're planting,
and if you don't like what you get, then you'll know for sure what not
to buy next time, because all red potatoes, or white potatoes are NOT
created equal! I've had wonderful flavored russets and
horrible--throw out the rest of the bag--russets, they may look
similar, but there is a world of difference in the flavor. Even the
strains that one seed grower has versus another .. sometimes just
taste different even though the name on the "seed" was the same...even
on the same ground.

Not a red, but I love kennebec potatoes, they're cobble shaped white
potatoes that can get so big they suggest you plant them closer
together than other varieties to keep them from getting too large.
They're good baked, fried, or boiled.. just let them cure a bit, and
once you've withdrawn water, don't water them again...or they'll start
growing again, or.. rot.

Janice

On 2 May 2004 20:05:10 -0700, (simy1) wrote:

"Ray Drouillard" wrote in message ...

When you have excess acreage, the thing you try to optimize is yield per
(cost + time) rather than yield per acre.

true even with one acre. My deer have a runway not five feet from two
of my potato rows and don't touch them

Yup, nightshade, poisonous and bitter anyway.

Janice

(so far, three years running...
they have destroyed my sunchokes patch 50 ft away though). I plant the
potatoes in rows where I don't want to mow, like where I have trees in
a row. All I do is put the potato down, cover with one foot of
woodchips, and show up in august for harvest. Very low yield, mostly
because I neither water nor fertilize, but the yield per unit of
effort is great.





I have about twenty-five pounds of potatoes that are rapidly growing
sprouts. They're going to go into the ground as soon as we take
possession of our land.


Ray

In article , wrote:
On Sun, 02 May 2004 18:05:42 GMT, (Rez)
wrote:
Interesting... say, here's a question about potatoes:

I've noticed that red potatoes grown here in California are
pale-skinned and flavourless. Quite unlike the good red potatoes from
North Dakota and Washington.

So when I planted some "eyes", I used good Washington potatoes.

Were they cut up .. one eye to the chunk or did you plant smaller
whole potatoes?

Some of each, since some were real small and others had plenty of
spare eyes.


But they *produced* typical pale bland California potatoes -- yuck!
Did you let them dry up or just dig them while the vines were still
green? In california they might just keep growing and growing if you
didn't withdraw water and then make sure no more got to them...
because they will start growing again, making bumps on the already
existing potatoes and some small new ones could form.

They died off on their own and looked like potatoes normally will when
they're ready to dig. Probably the heat and dry air finally got to
them. They were every which size, from pea to fist.

So appears it's a soil, water, or climate issue (SoCal desert), rather
than a variety issue. Any thoughts?
Certainly growing conditions affect the outcome, water.. and too much
of it will make anemic potatoes, if you suspect there is something
missing from the soil, have it tested.

Our "soil" is so alkaline it's off the scale (our water is very high
in calcium, but not in other salts), has zero nitrogen, but is fairly
good for other nutrients. I've added Ammonium sulphate (can't find
straight sulphur here anymore) and plenty of horse manure and mulch,
but it's gonna be a long uphill climb to real soil.

Grass (but not corn), trees other than citrus, tomatoes, onions,
roses, bulb flowers of any sort, all grow like weeds with no care
other than water (tho the tomatoes really went nuts when sprayed with
insecticidal soap). Other veggies have highly variable and often weird
results. Peas do fine, beans look terrible unless you pile on the
nitrogen. Broccoli turns into a giant perennial thing with lacey
leaves, and doesn't make heads, but does make sugar-sweet tasty
blossoms (this was the headed variety, so it's not supposed to do
that!) Carrots are so bitter they're inedible (and make you sick if
you eat 'em anyway). Squash and melons do well if we get a spring, but
not if we just go from winter to summer in one day like happened last
year. Spinach and leaf lettuce get milky-sapped and incredibly
bitter (haven't tried head lettuce yet.)

Califlower was really weird -- didn't head up til it was over a year
old, and by then they were 4 feet tall -- and the entire plant was
sweet and edible (including the root nodules that look like they want
to be flower heads!) Finally had to get rid of them because they were
drawing HORDES of mice. Next time I'll plant 'em out in the middle of
the back 40, not within screaming distance of the house.

The variety you're growing is the biggest difference .. there is an
early red.. norland I think.. and it doesn't have good flavor, very
anemic even grown here in Idaho! (at least in my opinion). Pontiacs
are a later variety, better keeper, MUCH better flavor. I grew some
Levitt's pink..red skin and pink flesh, it was very tasty. Sangre are
a russet skinned red, a bit more mealy than what most of us think of
as reds.. waxy moist.

Pontiac rings a bell, I think that's probably what these were.

As a side effect, they also produced literally hundreds of half-inch
nubbins which were impossible to dig out, all of which sprouted this
spring. So now I have this patch of volunteers which apparently don't
mind that I'm not watering them, in the hope that they'll dry up and
go away. g
Well you could hill with soil or mulch some of them, don't water them
and see what they produce with just the natural water. They produce
tubers above the level of the "seed" piece, so you might as well get
something out of them if you can, they may be better dryer.

Now that it's gone up to 100F they've pretty much died back. That
area needs daily water or it turns to concrete real fast. Might be
worth spading around in there to see what they did, since they had the
whole winter and spring to do it.

In the future, be sure to know precisely what variety you're planting,

Well, what I planted were good eating, so I'd hope they'd grow the
same variety as I just ate g

and if you don't like what you get, then you'll know for sure what not
to buy next time, because all red potatoes, or white potatoes are NOT

The best reds are from North Dakota!

Not a red, but I love kennebec potatoes, they're cobble shaped white
potatoes that can get so big they suggest you plant them closer
together than other varieties to keep them from getting too large.

Are those the ones that get all knobby?

~REZ~