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Show 4 - FRAGRANT TIMES - MAY 15, 1998 GARDEN GRAB BAG Ah!!! Potatoes, potatoes, they're not like tomatoes. They're not fancy or pretty, and are oftentimes gritty. But mash, boil, or bake, even French fried we'll take, and that is the end of my ditty. So guess what our subject is for this month? One of the foundations of our diet, rich in vitamin C U.S. to build railways across the country, dikes in New down. Potato baskets are similar in that they are basically mulch-grown but contained in either a wire basket, bushel basket or similar enclosure. The potatoes supposedly form on top of the ground in the mulch and are easy to harvest. I had trouble when I tried this method because the mulching , Orleans, or canals in the Northeast! The potato is one of the kept drying out too much and I got poor potato production many crops that was exclusively a New World plant, related compared to the ground. Since I have raised beds and don't like to "hill up" any further, I use a modified trench method. This means I make depressions in my raised beds which 1 plant and then fill as they grow. The bottom line is, regardless of the method chosen, don't allow the developing and potassium, a plant so depended on in earlier times that, if it hadn't been for the Great Potato Famine of the 1840's, we might never have had enough Irishmen emigrating to the to the tomato and tobacco plants. They were then taken to Europe by the Spanish who found the Incas growing them, and they were immediately adapted for use, becoming the staple of many peoples' diets. Some folks think that the cheap cost of bagged potatoes makes it silly to devote even a small part of the garden to growing them here, but I'm a convert to the flavor and freshness you get from growing your own. Just wandering out in the summer and picking tiny new potatoes anytime you want to makes up for the small amount of work that they require since the potato is basically a very simple plant which gives you great rewards for little effort. There is also little or no variety to the types Aw.~hs- . ..M...-.A........ developing potatoes are always covered with dirt Mulchgrown potatoes are merely placed on the ground, covered with mulch to a depth of about 8", and then more mulch is continually added as the potatoes grow and the mulch packs potatoes to be in the sun or they'll turn ”green" caused by the production of toxic glycoalkaloids. Young, small "new" potatoes can be harvested as early as 7-8 weeks after planting by carefully digging around the edge of the plant. However, don't disturb the plant and only take a couple from each one. Harvest in the fall when foliage begins to dry or tubers have reached full size which you find out by trial and error. They really keep okay in the ground for awhile but MUST be out before a hard freeze. Forks are of potato you can purchase in the store. Certainly nothing like the tender Yukon Gold, the dark red Norland, or the interesting new blue varieties! Potatoes are tolerant of cool soil and moderate frost recommended for digging up the potatoes (I still like my which generally means early to mid-spring (or about peaplanting) time. Even if the early growth gets nipped by a late frost they usually recover nicely. There are three 3 group types 2 early (65-80 days till maturity), midseason (80-90), shovel best if I'm careful) and immediately use any that get stabbed since they won't keep. Put the harvested spuds somewhere out of the light where they can toughen up their skins a little then store in a cool, damp place. Optimal storage conditions are close to 32 F and 80—90 percent humidity. Potatoes have few pests but potato beetles can eat the foliage and weaken the plants. These beetles and their larvae long (90+ days). The seed potatoes are small, or larger ones can be cut to as small as 1 inch, and must contain at least one eye. If cut, they should be allowed to dry out on the cut surface before planting to avoid rotting. Refrigerate or store your seed potatoes in a cool place if they arrive and you're not ready to plant yet or you can try Chitting. Chitting (not cheating, although it seems like it when you get your results) is the practice of exposing unsprouted seed potatoes to light in a warm room for 2-3 weeks before planting and this moves up your harvest proportionately. Don't let those sprouts get too leggy, though, making sure that nothing is can be literally knocked off the plants using a broom to sweep the foliage or they can be sprayed with a special strain of B. thuringiensis that doesn't affect helpful garden insects or earthworms. Scab, a bacterial potato disease, makes them ugly but the potato can still be eaten if the affected areas are just removed. More acid soils discourage scab but may also decrease yield. So that's potatoes, folks! Even when everything else in the garden seems to be having problems, potatoes come over a few inches long when planted. If legginess develops, shining through. Grow a few, enjoy them with your spring either move the potatoes back to cool, dark storage or just peas, and store the final harvest to be enjoyed all winter. cut back the sprout and plant. Potatoes like soil that has a good supply of potassium which can be provided by wood ashes, but not too much nitrogen. Work the soil well, mixing in a You'll be glad you did! —Rusty Salmon, 259—4044 generous amount of compost if possible to keep the soil fluffy and provide the best pH. Remember that the new potatoes will be growing there and the lighter the mixture the better. Also, avoid fresh manure as it encourages scab which gives ugly, corky rough spots. There are several methods for planting but generally place seed potatoes 2—3" deep, preferably with the eye up, and about 12" apart. Since the potatoes grow above the seed potato you can either hill up the plants as they grow, use potato oGroundwater Locating Studies & Reports. . oWell Development Water Treatment Systems. baskets, or just grow in mulch on top of the ground. HC 64 Box 2003 "Hilling up" means to pull dirt from the sides and Castle Valley, Utah 84532 801-259-8042 place around the plant as it grows so that the Anton Layne Kabonic |
