I don't know anything about growing potatoes, but I have Publix garlic growing now. It is fun to experiment.

I have a publix garlic growing also. Actually, I thought it had died in the Oct heat; till this week I found it's sprout growing under the mulch (I planted it too deep). I think it is a Turban - here's some info - which I looked up AFTER it decided to live (no thanks to me)

"Asiatics and Turban garlics have as many similarities as differences. Asiatics have 8-12 fat cloves, Turbans have about 6 really big cloves.
Asiatics have a few pea-size purple bulbils whereas Turbans have 30 to 100 pinkish rice-size bulbils. They are the very earliest harvesting of all garlics and if you can grow them you'll have garlic before anyone else is anywhere near ready to harvest. They are short storing garlics as most don't last more than 5 months at room temperature before sprouting. They are always the first garlics to sprout in the fall. They are also unusual in that they don't mature gradually like all the other garlics; when they are ready, their tops start to fall over, like onions. That's too late. The time to check their bulb size and get ready to start harvesting them is in mid-spring before their leaves fall over and they lose all their bulb wrappers, as they will if they stay in the ground for very long after they are ready to be harvested. If they lose their bulb wrappers, their storage time will be reduced even more than usual. The secret to success in growing great Asiatic and Turban is to dig down and watch the bulbs develop and when they get big enough to suit you, go ahead and dig them up, don't wait for them to fall over. You simply have to harvest them before they fall over. They do seem to grow exceptionally well in dry climates like the southwestern USA, if properly irrigated."

Hi Dianne

I know which small potatoes you are talking about, I like them too but I don't know anything about the variety. I would say if they sprout for you, it will be good to plant them. I am still waiting for my local feed store to get seed potatoes and I will be planting in the bags also, those bags are good in the warmer weather to plant winter squash. The seed potatoes are very inexpensive at the feed store and I like to harvest as baby potatoes, my favorite way to eat them is roasted in the oven, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic.
Let us know the result on the potatoes.

Here are mine last winter

{{gwi:29613}}

Silvia

Dianne: Thanks for the info. If I fail I know I only spent $0.50.

I think the big box nursery's and the feed store is conspiring to make me schizophrenic. HD has melon and okra seedlings (amongst others) and the feed store in Sanford just got their Vidalia onion sets in. Now, I'm a learning veggie grower; but even I know that okra and melons are hot weather crops.

TL;DR - feed store doesn't have seed potatoes

I've been fighting with spinach for a month it seems like? And, now, finally - my spinach is growing! I'm thinking I need to learn more about ideal temperatures rather than just using the monthly charts from IFAS and Tom MacCubbin.

I planted a test of Lebanese White Bush Marrow Squash - it is out near the street where it is the most hot and dry. On the east facing side of the plant; I have placed black plastic under the mulch. My idea is to keep the soil warmer. Of course, it is still on the warmer side, so time will tell. It is blooming now, so far only male flowers.

I was searching the Florida forums; and it seems that now is the time to plant potato? And, if the potato slip has dried you can plant it anyway and don't need to wait for it to sprout?

This early fall planting was primarily experimenting with different things; and getting hubby hooked on the idea of our own veggie patch. Now he is hooked, and I'm working to adjust quantities planted. We always have "not enough". How many potato slip's do you plan for a family of two? I'm thinking perhaps I'll bring home another bag of Florida fingerling potato. Oh, and I'm also going to try Boniato.

~dianne

Dianne - Sometimes the potatoes from the store are sprayed to avoid sprouting, if that is the case they won't do well if planted, that is the reason of pre sprouting store bought potatoes. When getting certified seed potatoes is safe to plant them without sprouting, however is faster to grow them if taken the additional step to sprout them. Now is time to plant onions and regular potatoes, sweet potatoes are planted when warm and I think boniato is kind of sweet potato?

In my garden, to have a steady supply of greens for cooking, I planted a big variety of greens that I started using already, some grow faster than others and can be used same as a spinach.

Daily assortment of greens go in a soup, I only cut a few leaves to keep them growing.

Lentil minestrone with different greens from the garden

Silvia

This summer I followed Silvia's advice and planted some sweet-potatoes..... I got a small bag of 'organic' from Publix....and now they are producing sweet-'taters all over the bed! I can't believe how prolific and how delish.....I've gotten dozens of nice-size tubers from just 2 or 3 that I planted, all I did was cut the sprout-end and the eyes out of the tuber, and ate the rest, and planted the cuts....I plan on digging a section of the back-yard and using it just for the sweets, and keep rotating.... really worth a try !.......sally

Hi Sally

I am glad that your sweet potatoes are doing well and don't forget to add some greens to have more nutrition in your meals, now is the best time to grow them, they are all delicious and can be added to many dishes.

Silvia

Silvia --- Soups are one of my favorite foods....yours looks so delicious!

Thank you Christine - I can make a different soup every day, no repeats.:) Soup and salads are my favorites, I can live on those.

Silvia