Seed potato.

a reply to: Mike Stivic

I would grow lettuce and other greens in the box until you can purchase viable seed/tubers next season.. you can find them semi/fresh at your local agway, or if you have to one of the bigger chains.

I'm trying a third time with a walmart tater.
My theory is that IF I can get even a tiny tuber and I can get some eyes on it That plant will be free of any chems the mother had and thus grow a real plant.
Hoping anyway.
If not I'll just get a seed potato early next season and try that.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I'm growing them inside so the climate is regulated.
They like it hot and so do I .
I keep my temp in the house at 78f.

It's to bad you can't eat the greens....I'm getting fantastic greens. lol

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

and the difference between garden grown and commercially grown really isn't that different.

WUT? Are you serious?? Maybe it is Wisconsin, but the white potatoes grown in the garden or farm-stand almost seem like a different food from what is sold in stores. There is absolute no comparison!

To the OP, buy an organic potato you'll be able to grow eyes on those much easier .

a reply to: rickymouse

If you get some potatoes from the store, soak them in water for a little while to remove most of the antisprouting chemicals on them.

Hadn't thought of that. ty

a reply to: rickymouse

If you do plant store potatoes without washing them, the antisprouting chemical will slow the growth of all potatoes near by. I soak the potatoes for about fifteen minutes or more, then even add more water and rinse.

I might just toss this third batch even though they have 3inch greens already and start over with some washed ones.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: scraedtosleep

I am a bit of a gardener, and tried potatoes one year....they have a lot of above ground greenery.

I think you waited too long.
They need a certain number of days to produce, and normally I've seen them in catalogs and garden centers in the spring.

May I suggest you try a few pomato plants one year.

It's a tomato/potatoe hybrid that grows tomatoes on top, potatoes on the roots.

a reply to: Mike Stivic

I cut down to growing about a bushel a year, I took down the six foot fence the deer thought I put up for them to practice jumping over. It isn't worth putting up an eight footer, they will get over that too. The does here listen and know not to eat the potato plants, but their fawns do not listen to their parents, two fawns can clip all the plants in an hour.

originally posted by: scraedtosleep
a reply to: rickymouse

If you do plant store potatoes without washing them, the antisprouting chemical will slow the growth of all potatoes near by. I soak the potatoes for about fifteen minutes or more, then even add more water and rinse.

I might just toss this third batch even though they have 3inch greens already and start over with some washed ones.

Potatoes need sand mixed in the soil, they are like a dandelion, their roots excrete chemicals that take apart sand and gravel. I need more sand in my potato patch, potatoes get their needed minerals from sand, topsoil does not work well alone.. I learned that fifty years ago working on our farm. We had potato harvestors, but all they did was dig everything up and leave the potatoes on the ground behind, then a bunch of us filled bushel bags with the potatoes and left them in rows to pick up with the tractor later. We only had maybe ten acres of potatoes each year. We had many strawberry fields and a huge garden area, we went around town peddling veggies many times a summer. We actually ate all the culls ourselves, we sold the number ones and twos. Anything odd shaped or nicked was what we ate when I grew up.

When the sand turns to powder, it is time to plow up more sand into the mix.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

Buy local potatoes if possible, I've never had a problem growing from actual potatoes when buying locally. I've grown them on and off for years and only ever had an issue when growing garlic near them.

Usually when potatoes for cooking start to get eyes I'll just put them in a dark warmish cupboard for a couple of weeks, they'll develop more eyes and also begin to grow stems/roots. I always aimed to plant around mid March, depending on the weather you can go a little earlier or later. With that said, I've planted in August a few times just to experiment and had new potatoes in November... They don't do well over winter though.

I've always found potatoes to be easy here in the UK, very little work but they ain't really worth the space if you haven't got the room. I always planted shallow, like an inch or 2 under the soil. If they become exposed just cover them up... They usually won't though.

You should be getting new potatoes within 3-4 months really, they're divine fresh during the summer, I usually use em for salads but they're great with lot of things.

Not getting any roots at all seems strange to me though, have they flowered? I'd leave em for a bit or dig a little deeper maybe?

a reply to: RAY1990

Not getting any roots at all seems strange to me though, have they flowered? I'd leave em for a bit or dig a little deeper maybe?

After three full months they had no flower, they had roots but no tubers. Just the long skinny roots.
They had long 3-4 foot greens.

Maybe I just didn't give them enough time?
I'm only waiting 90 days. I'll give it another 30 days extra this time.

Last time I did get a single tiny new potato. Maybe it really is just time?

While I'm at it and if any of you farmers are still reading this thread I have another question.


How do I germinate garden/bush/pole beans?

When I try the standard wet paper towel method my seeds turn to mush.
Other seeds germ just fine with that method.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

You mentioned you were compensating with grow light in your window.

I have never grown potatoes like that, so I'm not sure if they are light cycle dependant. I say this because after three months you should Definitely have flowers.. perhaps they are stuck in the vegetative stage..

Ambient light can also effect that..
So if you have them in a room with a window,a good rule of thumb is to shut off all artificial light after the sun goes down..

This may be impractical, depending on your situation.

As far as the beans go.. don't bother with paper towels, just direct sow them into there final resting place.. plant them close and thin accordingly.

Some veggies/plants don't like being transplanted.

I suggest looking up vegetative and flowering cycles, it is quite interesting.

I hope that helps.

Also I'm not actually living "the dream" ..

But I am trying..



Respectfully,
~meathead

a reply to: RAY1990



I live in the north east kingdom in Vermont, our grow season is extremely limited. This year I didn't get the potatoes in until the end of May.

We had snow in the middle of mud season so it was prolonged.

Even getting them in just before June, I will be digging them by early September, the fingerlings at the end of August.

I think his/her problem is the light cycle.

But what do I know, I'm just a

~meathead

a reply to: Mike Stivic

Yesterday i dug up a small patch of my red fingerling's , I took about 5 pounds worth.

My mom made potato salad...

MmmmMmmmm Good!

This was my first year growing red fingerlings, the yield per plant was a tad lower than the banana fingerling's(yellow), but the texture and taste is so good that I'm conflicted as to whether or not I'm going to dedicate the garden space to it again next year.



Respectfully,
~meathead