Sjoerd, I asked last year about planting potatoes and you gave me advice. I am happy to tell you that finally I know how to grow potatoes! From a row, oh about 4 foot, we harvested over a peck of gorgeous red potatoes. I am one happy gardener and plan to have at least 4 rows next spring. Nothing tastes better than a potato that one has grown themself.
Wow, Growingpains--it sounds like you did really well. You know, I liken digging up spuds to panning for gold or how I felt when I opened presents as a child. It is such a special feeling. You must be tickled-pink with those results. I can feel a bit of pride as well. Thank you for letting me hear how it went for you this season. That was a very nice thing to do. The only thing that comes close to harvesting one's own spuds, is eating one's own spuds. Know what I mean?
I actually had helped my daughter and gr.daughter dig their potatoes and we had such fun. Then we dug our own and people would have thought we were a couple of nutcases as we ooohed and ahhhhed over each new potato we dug up. My brothers and sisters think I am in my second childhood the way I carry on over digging potatoes. I remembered all year how you advised me to plant and I decided if I didn't get potatoes this year, I would quit and use the space for something else. Hurrah!! I can try again and enjoy good potatoes. Thank you for advice.
Man did we get potatoes this year, maybe the cooler than normal summer? These were taken a week ago, after all were dug, we had 489 pounds of potatoes! Yesterdays potato harvest, 1/4 of the total harvest The bowl of potatoes is from ONE plant, 7 1/4 pounds The other 1/4 of total harvest (the other half (approximately 225 pounds) is in the pantry already. One of the large ones..1 1/2 pounds:
Pharmer Phil, those are beautiful potatoes that you got there. Congratulations to GrowingPains too for learning and growing potatoes.
good for you growingpains! sjoerd always has such great advice for growing things! excellent harvest pharmerphil! we are just getting serious about digging ours up now due to the cold temps coming on. so far i dug up a couple of buckets of all purple potatoes and a few German Butterballs. i was making fish chowder last night and could only find the purple ones...so we had purple fish chowder last night...mighty tasty, but the color...ewww!
And I thought I had LUCK with 'taters..WOW! Had never tried spuds before, purchased a pound of organic "Purple Viking" seed potatoes, planted them in two raised beds and went to keeping my fingers crossed (my eyes already were from trying to learn HOW to raise potatoes). I'd taken out extra soil from beds, set it aside for future hilling when needed, and when time came mixed in a lot of crushed dried leaves to "lighten" the soil a bit. Plants about floored me with their top growth: found almost 18 pounds of big, beautiful, rock-solid purple-skinned, very white-meated spuds under the spent tops when I dug them in mid-September: you could hear "whoopin' and a-hollerin'" a block away so totally know the feeling of ELATION when digging potatoes! I, very honestly, didn't know what to expect with this new gardening venture, now can't wait to do it again!
This is one of the most exciting posts! I can just feel everyone's excitement. It makes me want to try potatoes next year too. I'll look up Sjoerd's old post on taters. Congratulations to everyone!!
I have to agree as an ex allottment holder for several years. You can't beat going on to the land and picking while the dew is still there. We used to like the redskin potatoe for keeping.They made good mash and great chips so very versatile. Congrats to both gardeners on their success.
Congrats GP on your success. Sjoerd is a good teacher. And PP...WOW, look at all those potatoes! Pass the taters, please!!
I'm glad I'm not the only one that goes by Sjoerd's methods.He has so many great methods.growingpain I'm so glad things went great for you and your tators. Pharmerphil you did great but I bet this wasn't your first rodeo (I mean tater growing)
Congratulations PharmerPhil. Your harvest makes mine look ? well, like piddling? How much land do you till for this crop? One thing for sure, your family won't go hungry this winter.
