YEAH, JOHN! I'm telling you, I've got to start growing potatoes. You make it look so tastey!

Those are lovely! I'd love to grow something my kids would actually eat...tell us how you did it! in a raised bed? high rise?

Good, aren't they? I hadn't grown potatoes in years, but I'm sure glad I did this year. I'll be digging again tomorrow.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Nice looking budadas. Yours are definitely better than mine this year. Well done.

Dan

Thanks all.

Dan, we will see, they may be just teasers.

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

On June 22, I reached under a plant and pulled these out:

On June 27, I dug the same plant out and got these:

Yesterday I reached underneath another plant and came up with these. I happened to get over into the Yukon Gold, and they are getting nice sized, too. The onions came from another bed ;-)

That's a total of 5 pounds 3 ounces so far. I have 15 plants in a 3'x4' bed of straight dairy compost, hilled up to a depth of about 7-8". I've noticed a very small amount of scab on two potatoes, which is not unexpected with all the manure in the bed.

Granny

Well done folks! Makes me want to dig some new potatoes up!

Oh granny that is awesome! I had some potatoes that were somewhat large, small when you are talking about baking potatoes, but I got some! I harvested all my potatoes in a 2x4 area came to 10 lbs roughly. I was kinda disappointed. I was told it was a good yield. I believed it until now and saw yours. I dont know why mine didnt get that big. Maybe it was the soil. I didnt put much liquid fertilizer on it. Maybe that was it. I am going to add a lot of compost to the soil next year (I wont use the same soil. Just the soil I use will have lost of compost that has horse manure in it now). Oh well. But this IS my first time growing potatoes.

You guys did AWESOME!!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Jen's Victory Garden Blog

JenGC, none of my potatoes have been very large, but there have been SO MANY in the small area where I've excavated. I didn't use any liquid fertilizer, just planted them in straight compost and covered them with a combination of compost and potting soil as they grew. Manure can cause scab on the potatoes, so make sure it's well composted.

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

I have heard where people have planted the potatoes in soil and then just added hay or straw not soil. I wonder if that really works or not. I just figured it needed soil but what, it just needs a covering? I thought the more you cover it, the more potatoes it made.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jen's Victory Garden Blog

jengc,
I hope to be able to answer that question for you soon - I'm growing my potatoes mulched with straw instead of hilled with soil. They look good but I'm not to harvest time yet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

where you here when i told ya'll about my friend who does his potato's that way?? he digs the trench, then puts the straw on top. he say's he'll never do it anyother way! **grin** no digging, he's one of those farmers who likes to find way's of easier farming. but he has beautiful gardens, and is always sharing his plants and stuff with us, his knowledge is amazing!! i think i've learned 1/8th of what he's told me!! **laughing** he's also the one who grows the tomato's and bell peppers in his house year round, he just goe's by and shakes them. they self pollinate that way. very smart guy. :') ~Medo

Last year I planted sprouted red potatoes (from the store) they grew and then died and the ones I found and pulled were puny. It turns out that the ones that got left behind, grew this year! And those had a couple of decent sized potatoes but only like 2 or 3 on each plant.

Another area I planted this year, more sprouted red store bought potatoes. also grew (nice looking plants) and then died back, well these plants had several (4 or 5 or more) very small potatoes on them.

I realize the key and answer to this issue was that these were not true seed potatoes. NEXT year, I WILL find real ones to use, because the soil these were in was so soft and nice they would be sure to do well.

dont laugh, these on top were the smallest ones, the half dozen or so of decent size were about like a regular sized "new" potatoe you might buy at the store.

oops, I just realized this post was on the SFG forum!! I thought I was reading the veggie forum...these taters were planted in my garden spot, not in my SF beds.

Wow! that's one mighty big cherry! ;-)

LOL!!!

I was hoping you were going to come to the conclusion that store bought potatoes were good enough. Seed potatoes are MUCH more expensive. I am HOPING to use my potatoes I grew as seed potatoes for next year. Crossing my fingers!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Jen's Victory Garden Blog

Well, I was actually wondering the same thing, these little puny guys (many the size of a marble) seem like they would be a good size? Well, I think I will bite the bullet and get seed potatoes somewhere. I guess if one part of a seed potatoe multiplies to like 7 or 8 fold, then it's probably worth it.

UPDATE: I cooked my little baby taters with a nice roast, some onions, carrots, celery etc. and YUMMMY, were they ever good. Of course, I would have preferred them to grow into regular sized taters, but hey when you get lemons, get some eggs and make a lemon merange pie :)