Potato Question

[Sourdough]

What is the reason that you keep covering the plant (Stem and leaves) with soil as it grows? Does it defer flowering...? Does it make more runners...?

What why keep covering the plant..? And can this be overdone...?What if you never let it flower....?

[nell67]

the more you cover the plant,the bigger the crop,and yes you do need to stop after a bit,and let the plant flower out,but the more stem you have underground increases the potato yeild.I cover mine 3 times,then let them flower out and the stem above ground die off.

[crashdive123]

I've only grown plain ole potatoes once. Didn't add dirt or anything after they were planted. I've got about 50 sweet potato plants in the ground right now and have not added anything to cover those since planting.

[TrappinGal]

yep, what she said.

round here insted of doing it in stages we go what ya call "hillin em in" that

[TrappinGal]

crash, you will have a higher yield if you hill them in. theyre a root crop and will produce potatoes as high as they are covered in dirt.

[nell67]

yep, what she said.

round here insted of doing it in stages we go what ya call "hillin em in" that

That's what we call it 'round these parts too Trappingal!

[TrappinGal]

............... :d

[crashdive123]

Thanks - right now they're about 8 inches long - should be ready to harvest in about a month. The vines are taking over everything.

[TrappinGal]

they wont run as bad if you hill them up, lol.

[crashdive123]

I'll try it. The vines are about 8 feet long now....kind of out of room in my small yard.

[Sourdough]

I am experimenting this year....Built hills 10" high 6' long and 3' wide. Lay cut up spud pieces 4" apart, then put 6" of loose topsoil on top and another layer of potato pieces, then 6" of topsoil, and another layer of cut up potato's. And more cover.

It looks like "Boot Hill". I toyed with the idea of headboards, trespasser # 1, trespasser # 2, etc.

[Sourdough]

Do the potatos stop growing when the plant flowers....?

[TrappinGal]

if you want bigger potatoes, remove the flowers, pinch them out so the plant doesnt go to seed. just like when you sucker tomatoes but in this instance you remove the flowers by cutting them off.

fertilizizing with a fertilizer high in potassium will help produce a bumper crop of big potatoes too.

you guys dont know me so ill tell you i majored in Ag. Education, just so you dont think im fulla crap.( at least not on this topic) LOL

if you have to many potatoes to remove the flowers by hand or pruners, use a weedeater being careful to get the flowers and not a whole lot of plant. if you cut the plant in excess of removing the flowers you have a danger of killing the plant in this heat..

[Sourdough]

So how do I keep the moose from eating the pea vines, pods, roots......?

[TrappinGal]

we aint got moose here, so other than a bullet, i dont know for sure. lol

i use "Liquid Fence" to repel deer and rabbit here. dont know if itll work for moose. you just spray the plants, but it STINKS!!

[Rick]

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/potato.html

As for the moose, put up a sign that they are poison. If the moose has trouble reading (some claim they are near sighted) then just draw a skull and cross bones. That should keep them out.

[Ridge Wolf]

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/potato.html

As for the moose, put up a sign that they are poison. If the moose has trouble reading (some claim they are near sighted) then just draw a skull and cross bones. That should keep them out.

The only moose I have seen in a lot of years is Bullwinkle so don't know much about keepin' moose out of potato patches. However, I know some people that have cyclone fences around their gardens to keep deer out of them.

I believe that Bullwinkle does read though, as I remember, the last time I saw him he had glasses just for that purpose.

[wareagle69]

just be sure to ask the moose his name first- it might be my norman

so let me get this straight first you build a hill?
oh and most moose are couch potatoes so be careful

[ryaninmichigan]

I have herd of people growing them in stacked tires. I don't know.

[TrappinGal]

ryan youre right, people around here do that too and it does work. as tha plants grow you add another tire, leaving the tops out and pack inside the new tire. the more tires you stack that way, the bigger your potato harvest.