White potatoes

[JerryCarr]

Has anyone tried growing regular potatoes in mid-HPP? We have been successfully growing sweet potatoes for over a year now and would like to try regular white ones, too.

Cheers,
Jerry

[Kapohocat]

Give us a little while as we are goign to try them in our tire planters. We'll keep you updated.

[JerryCarr]

Thanks, Cat. I will look forward to your report. LIke everything else around here, we were planning to use raised beds on top of the pahoehoe, so your tire method would be comparable.



Edited by - JerryCarr on 07/14/2007 11:40:50

[Les C]

Jerry, what type of white potato do you mean?
http://www.foodsubs.com/Potatoes.html
I don't know for sure, but the different types may have different growing requirements.

[JerryCarr]

Good question, Les. I guess I was gonna sprout some common grocery store type such as russet or red. They seem to spout easily enough in my storage bin! LOL. I started my yellow sweet potatoes that way from grocery store stock, and they are producing like crazy. I have always heard that sweet potatoes are better suited to tropical climes than white, though, so I posted on the forum.

Cheers,
Jerry

[aline]

I grew white potatoes in Orchidland on38th.Used store potatoes cut eyes and a little more out and planted them in raised hills they did great. The tire method would certainly work too. I just didnt have any at the time.

[Hotzcatz]

A regular white plastic 5 gallon bucket works well for potato planting. Fill it with dirt or cinders, put in a couple of the sprouting eyes of any old kind of potato and let it grow. When the vines die back tip the bucket over and pick up the potatoes.

Do you think potatoes would grow well in a compost heap? That's usually nice and loose and easy to dig potatoes out of. Might get eaten by bugs there, though.

[Kapohocat]

quote:

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....Do you think potatoes would grow well in a compost heap? That's usually nice and loose and easy to dig potatoes out of. Might get eaten by bugs there, though...

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We accidently grew potatoes in the compost pile. They must have gotten in there before April and as we were digging soil out to use for our "tire" gardens, we found potatoes growing!!!!! We harvested about 10 or so!!!! ha ha ha

[nanasohana]

We grew some new potatoes in a bucket. I got impatient and harvested too early before the vines died back but we got a nice little mess of new potatoes. I think you need to drill several holes in the bottom of the bucket for drainage also.

[Hotzcatz]

Ah, yup, drainage holes would be a good idea to put in the bottom of the bucket. Most times I use a broken bucket that already has holes in it.

Yesterday I was chatting with my garden buddy about growing potatoes in straw or mulch. She was telling me there is a procedure which involves getting the potatoes started then when the vines have grown out a bit, to cover them halfway with straw or mulch. Keep doing this until the vines die off and that is supposed to produce more potatoes that are easier to dig up.