Several things about potatoes and brussel sprouts

greatgranny 7/25/2015, 3:43 pm

I am wondering if potatoes always have blossoms. I have none on mine. It has been very wet and hot and the plants are huge.

I have never planted brussel sprouts so I was not aware that they take quite a long time. Also, a person on another tread spoke about summer heat affecting them and that they taste way better after a couple of frosts. The plants are huge thanks to all the rain we have had. They are on the east side of the house so they are not getting killed with the heat. Should I just keep an eye on them and make sure the awful cabbage worms don't devour them?

boffer 7/25/2015, 4:14 pm

In my experience, some potato plants don't get flowers (reason unknown to me), but they still develop tubers.

Brussel sprouts take a loooong time. They are in the Brassica family, so they can handle frosts, and a frost or two does make them sweeter. From what I've read, the starches in the plant turn to sugars to help protect them from freezing.

Yes, watch for cabbage moths. Some sort of netting thrown over the plants will help. I've also had problems with slugs and aphids on my sprouts; they may or may not be a problem for you.

greatgranny 7/25/2015, 5:30 pm

boffer wrote:In my experience, some potato plants don't get flowers (reason unknown to me), but they still develop tubers.

Brussel sprouts take a loooong time. They are in the Brassica family, so they can handle frosts, and a frost or two does make them sweeter. From what I've read, the starches in the plant turn to sugars to help protect them from freezing.

Yes, watch for cabbage moths. Some sort of netting thrown over the plants will help. I've also had problems with slugs and aphids on my sprouts; they may or may not be a problem for you.

This particular type has gotten them in years past but this year is a very strange year.

I would need a whole bolt of netting for my brassica plants this year. I went nuts. I just keep an eye on them. I hate those green pests.

**donnainzone5** 7/25/2015, 5:40 pm

I agree with Boffer that potato blossoms are not necessarily predictive of tubers.

In Southern California, my taters never bloomed, but I did harvest a few spuds.

Here, in Central Oregon, my potatoes bloom profusely, but do not consistently produce decent-sized tubers.

CapeCoddess 7/25/2015, 6:04 pm

My taters bloomed last year and not this year. Same stock. I haven't harvested any yet so not sure what's under there.

CC

**camprn** 7/25/2015, 8:59 pm

greatgranny wrote:I am wondering if potatoes always have blossoms. I have none on mine. It has been very wet and hot and the plants are huge.

They will eventually bloom.

greatgranny wrote:I have never planted brussel sprouts so I was not aware that they take quite a long time. Also, a person on another tread spoke about summer heat affecting them and that they taste way better after a couple of frosts.

This is true, Mine grow for 7 months. They sweeten a bit after the cold sets in. I leave mine in the garden into December.

greatgranny wrote:The plants are huge thanks to all the rain we have had. They are on the east side of the house so they are not getting killed with the heat. Should I just keep an eye on them and make sure the awful cabbage worms don't devour them?

Yes, keep an eye on them and squish the cabbage worms as they appear. Cut off the top growing ip of the plant the first of September and this will put energy into the sprouts. There is a good Brussels sprouts thread on the forum. Use the search feature to find it.

greatgranny 7/26/2015, 2:22 pm

camprn wrote:Yes, keep an eye on them and squish the cabbage worms as they appear. Cut off the top growing ip of the plant the first of September and this will put energy into the sprouts. There is a good Brussels sprouts thread on the forum. Use the search feature to find it.

Thanks for that bit of advice. I didn't know that part about pruning them so the energy goes to the sprouts.

**Scorpio Rising** 7/27/2015, 10:00 am

My Yukon Gold potatoes not only bloomed, but they set little "fruits" that look like green cherry tomatoes, but they are rock hard. Weird. I took them off the plants. I haven't dug any yet, but the tops are yellowing a bit, so I will be doing so when they die back further.

I have never grown Brussels sprouts! Would like to try. I would think they need an early start where I am!

**Kelejan** 7/27/2015, 10:21 am

The green "cherries" on your potatoes contain seeds and if you want lots and lots of potatoes in the future that is one way of propagating them. But I am sure you do not have a field in which to plant them.

**Scorpio Rising** 7/27/2015, 10:36 pm

Kelejan wrote:The green "cherries" on your potatoes contain seeds and if you want lots and lots of potatoes in the future that is one way of propagating them. But I am sure you do not have a field in which to plant them.

I wondered what those were, figured they might be the fruits with seeds! And, no, I don't have any fields for spud farming!

greatgranny 9/18/2015, 2:40 pm

Well, I guess potatoes don't need to blossom. I just harvested 14 squares. (25 pounds of Kennebec and 4 pounds of Russets) Some of the Kennebec were huge and others were really small. I use the small ones for fried potatoes now. The rest are going to cure for a bit and then go into the cold room. Best so far. Also, I did not add lots of mulch and it still was productive. This will get me into spring.

**Scorpio Rising** 9/18/2015, 10:59 pm

greatgranny wrote:Well, I guess potatoes don't need to blossom. I just harvested 14 squares. (25 pounds of Kennebec and 4 pounds of Russets) Some of the Kennebec were huge and others were really small. I use the small ones for fried potatoes now. The rest are going to cure for a bit and then go into the cold room. Best so far. Also, I did not add lots of mulch and it still was productive. This will get me into spring.

Good for you! Luvs me some spuds! bounce

**jimmy cee** 9/19/2015, 11:09 pm

April 1st I planted 80 potato seeds, Yukon Golds. 20 squares at 4 per square did very nicely. Watered only twice during the season, no fertilizer except for 2 quarts of compost in the middle of the season. No flowers came on at all, maybe Yukons don't get them. They were all perfect with no holes and absolutely delicious. I did pick one out that was a stinky gooey mess and smelled like death...all the rest are good.
Potatoes - Several things about potatoes and brussel sprouts Wed_ma10

Potatoes - Several things about potatoes and brussel sprouts Wed_ma10

Potatoes - Several things about potatoes and brussel sprouts Monday10

Potatoes - Several things about potatoes and brussel sprouts Potato10

**sanderson** 9/20/2015, 2:37 am

Potatoes - Several things about potatoes and brussel sprouts 3170584802

to those with healthy, good looking spuds.

**Scorpio Rising** 9/20/2015, 2:14 pm

I thought potatoes were 1/SF?

**Scorpio Rising** 9/20/2015, 2:26 pm

Now what I planted in May was not a seed, but a seed potato, looked like a potato, but made to plant and make more potatoes.

When you say "planted seeds" do you mean an actual seed? A tiny seed? And grow a potato from that? I have never done that!

greatgranny 9/20/2015, 6:25 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:Now what I planted in May was not a seed, but a seed potato, looked like a potato, but made to plant and make more potatoes.

When you say "planted seeds" do you mean an actual seed? A tiny seed? And grow a potato from that? I have never done that!

I think he meant seed potato. The one that you cut and allow to seal over the cut and has at least one eye.

Yes, the norm is 4 per square. I know I could have gotten more pounds but since I was under the weather I didn't follow up as much as I could have - regarding the mulching, etc.

**jimmy cee** 9/20/2015, 9:47 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:I thought potatoes were 1/SF?

I'm extremely versatile when it comes to how many per square. Attributes to my compost I try to test it at the outer edge.
I would not go over more than 4 potato's a square . This season I tried 4 pepper plants per square, should have only been one, 4 did ok. however I was informed peppers like to be touching each other. Next season I will go with 2 placed diagonally. A few years ago before I started SFG with Mel's Mix I planted 4 pepper plants in a large container. They were coming along nicely until deer ate them all..
I'm all for experimenting and testing the limits.
Under the right growing conditions and taking good care of them I think 4 seed potato's per square is good, however that's my thoughts.
Potatoes - Several things about potatoes and brussel sprouts May_6_10

Potatoes - Several things about potatoes and brussel sprouts May_6_10

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