First post, first time SFG, potato question

Odd Duck wrote:I'm growing potatoes for the first time myself, but I did consult my favorite garden advisors for help and specific recommendations for my area (Zone 7b/8a). I will pass on all my second hand wisdom, now.

A rule of thumb I was told was "Grow 6, cover 3, grow 6 cover 3". In other words, every time the potato stem gets to 6 inches tall, cover 3 inches of stem. You keep doing this until the potatoes start to bloom. The deeper the potato stems are, the more potatoes they should produce along that stem.

Once the plants are blooming, you can dig some new potatoes within about 2 weeks, then whenever you like until the plants start to yellow. How big they get would depend on how patient you are. I doubt any of mine will get to the mature, full-size potato stage. I like new potatoes too much.

It is definitely recommended that you rotate crops, ideally not growing another nightshade family member in the same spot for 3-4 years. Potatoes and tomatoes can give each other early blight and late blight and these are organisms that tend to build up in the soil.

I'm growing mine in big, plastic pots (only $14 for pots about 24" across) and I planted 6 or 7 seed potatoes in each, but not all grew since we had an exceptionally cool and wet early spring. I plan on rotating into the big pots just like it is a section of square foot garden, so the "potato spot" will rotate around and eventually back into pots in about 4 years. I planted the seed potatoes on top of about 4 inches of soil and covered with pinestraw and Mix, then waited, seemingly forever.

Once the sprouts got to 6" tall, I added more pinestraw and Mix to cover 3" of stem, then repeat, repeat, repeat as needed. My plants are so tall now, that the Mix is going to leak off the edges if I mound it anymore and the plants are at least 15" taller than that. If I had been on regular ground, I would have mounded higher, but I couldn't (and the pots are tall, I've got at least 18" of stem covered).

The plants finally have buds and will probably bloom sometime this week. I planted them January 23rd (perhaps jumped the gun a little, but that's what the local folks recommended). Next year I will likely wait at least a week longer.

So, that's my full experience with Irish potatoes and the sum total of my expertise of a whole 5 months of growing potatoes. But the "Grow 6, cover 3" rule I think was very helpful for me.

Sharon