Square Foot Gardening Forum
[table bgcolor=#000000 height=275][tr][td]
looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Toplef10looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? 1zd3ho10

Hello Guest!
Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum.
There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? I22gcj10looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? 14dhcg10

[/td][/tr][/table]

Join the forum, it's quick and easy

Square Foot Gardening Forum
[table bgcolor=#000000 height=275][tr][td]
looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Toplef10looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? 1zd3ho10

Hello Guest!
Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum.
There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? I22gcj10looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? 14dhcg10

[/td][/tr][/table]
Square Foot Gardening Forum
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.
Search
 
 

Display results as :
 

 


Rechercher Advanced Search

Latest topics
» Butterbaby Hybrid Squash (Butternut)
by OhioGardener Yesterday at 12:57 pm

» Indoor Lighting for Kitchen Herbs & Lettuce
by OhioGardener 11/22/2024, 6:58 pm

» Catalog season has begun!
by OhioGardener 11/22/2024, 3:35 pm

» Happy Birthday!!
by AtlantaMarie 11/22/2024, 4:13 am

» Interesting Marketing for Compost
by OhioGardener 11/21/2024, 7:29 pm

» How does green turn to brown?
by OhioGardener 11/21/2024, 4:58 pm

» Ohio Gardener's Greenhouse
by OhioGardener 11/21/2024, 12:16 pm

» N & C Midwest: Nov. Dec. 2024
by OhioGardener 11/21/2024, 7:40 am

» Tree roots, yeeessss.....
by sanderson 11/20/2024, 2:21 am

» The SFG Journey-Biowash
by has55 11/19/2024, 7:37 pm

» What are you eating from your garden today?
by OhioGardener 11/19/2024, 8:27 am

» Cooked worms?
by KiwiSFGnewbie 11/19/2024, 1:04 am

» New SFG gardener in Auckland
by KiwiSFGnewbie 11/16/2024, 11:25 pm

» Kiwi's SFG Adventure
by KiwiSFGnewbie 11/12/2024, 7:10 pm

» Thanksgiving Cactus
by OhioGardener 11/12/2024, 5:40 pm

» Need Garden Layout Feedback
by markqz 11/9/2024, 9:16 pm

» Thai Basil
by Scorpio Rising 11/8/2024, 8:52 pm

» How best to keep a fallow SFG bed
by KiwiSFGnewbie 11/8/2024, 8:11 pm

» Preserving A Bumper Tomato Harvest with Freezing vs Canning
by plantoid 11/7/2024, 11:36 am

» Mark's first SFG
by sanderson 11/6/2024, 11:51 pm

» What Have You Picked From Your Garden Today
by OhioGardener 11/5/2024, 2:29 pm

» Greetings from Southeastern Wisconsin
by sanderson 11/5/2024, 2:01 pm

» Spinning Compost Bin-need some ideas
by rtfm 11/2/2024, 7:49 pm

» Growing fruit trees in Auckland
by OhioGardener 10/31/2024, 4:23 pm

» Vermiculite -- shipping sale through 10/31/2024
by markqz 10/30/2024, 2:27 pm

» N & C Midwest: October 2024
by Scorpio Rising 10/30/2024, 10:38 am

» Old Mulch and Closing Beds for Winter
by sanderson 10/26/2024, 11:00 pm

» Hello from Land of Umpqua, Oregon Zone 8b
by sanderson 10/25/2024, 3:14 pm

» Hello everyone!
by SFGHQSTAFF 10/24/2024, 3:22 pm

» Senior Gardeners
by sanderson 10/23/2024, 6:09 pm

Google

Search SFG Forum

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

+6
Retired Member 1
jenjehle
Chopper
Megan
SirTravers
dmpower
10 posters

Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  dmpower 5/19/2010, 5:48 pm

I was just adding my 4th layer to my potatoes and while placing the straw around them, noticed that they look like they are ready to start flowering. This is my first season planting potatoes and this seems a little early! I only started them a month ago.

Should I just let them go? Should I pinch them back because it is too early? I really wasn't expecting this - help!
dmpower
dmpower

Female Posts : 82
Join date : 2010-04-06
Location : 5b Bloomington Indiana

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Just Do What Barney Says!

Post  SirTravers 5/19/2010, 7:09 pm

Nip it in the Bud!!! rofl
If you nip the flowers off the plants will grow longer. Just let them keep going until the stalks brown out at the end of the season. Also if you get any seed pods throw them away as they are poisonous and icky... I know I know...but I still have kids so it's a normal word hehe.
avatar
SirTravers

Male Posts : 327
Join date : 2010-03-01
Age : 51
Location : Hobbs New MExico, Zone 7A/7B

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  Megan 5/19/2010, 7:34 pm

Ah hah... I did NOT know to nip off potato flowers. Thanks!! Mine aren't there yet (still filling my box) but looking very vigorous. Yay potatoes! (Now I just have to figure out where to score some straw.)
Megan
Megan

Female Posts : 3348
Join date : 2010-04-27
Age : 57
Location : Manassas, VA - Zone 7a

http://novasquarefootgardener.blogspot.com/

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  Chopper 5/19/2010, 10:57 pm

Don't know if you have a lawn, Megan, but I use my dried grass clippings in lieu of straw. Also, if there is a feed store near you, you should be able to get straw there - but get STRAW not HAY because straw will not have seeds and hay most certainly will.
avatar
Chopper

Female Posts : 2464
Join date : 2010-05-05
Age : 69
Location : Warner Springs, CA USDA Zone 8a, Sunset Zone 7 (I think)

http://thezimmermannfamilytoo.blogspot.com

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  Megan 5/19/2010, 10:59 pm

No lawn worth speaking of, now the SFGs are in place! lol.... I'll check the feed store, thanks Chopper.
Megan
Megan

Female Posts : 3348
Join date : 2010-04-27
Age : 57
Location : Manassas, VA - Zone 7a

http://novasquarefootgardener.blogspot.com/

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  jenjehle 5/19/2010, 11:26 pm

I am new to planting potatoes... can I jump in with a question????

Thank you!!!

My potatoes are planted in 20 gallon tubs with compost in the bottom with many layers of straw. I kept covering up the greens with straw but now they are sprouting up above the top of the tubs and I can no longer cover them up. Is there anything else I need to do with them (other than nip off the flowers when they bloom) or should I just leave them alone to just grow??

I appreciate any help in this area Smile
jenjehle
jenjehle

Female Posts : 248
Join date : 2010-04-06
Age : 53
Location : Fort Wayne, IN - Zone 5B

http://picasaweb.google.com/107169543203897472824?feat=email

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  Retired Member 1 5/20/2010, 5:16 pm

Just leave them alone. Mother Nature will take over from here.
avatar
Retired Member 1

Female Posts : 904
Join date : 2010-03-03
Location : USA

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  Megan 5/20/2010, 6:38 pm

I scored some free straw! Went to the local feed store and asked if there were any torn bags or spoiled straw. They pointed me at an open tractor trailer and said "got any bags?" I just happened to have some lawn & leaf bags in the car. cheers The trailer was almost empty of bales and there were huge drifts of loose straw all over the place.

So, my potato bed is full now! I put a bunch of straw in and then an inch or two of mix across the top. Except for what I spilled and a few pieces sticking out, you can't tell there is straw in there.
Megan
Megan

Female Posts : 3348
Join date : 2010-04-27
Age : 57
Location : Manassas, VA - Zone 7a

http://novasquarefootgardener.blogspot.com/

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  dmpower 5/21/2010, 10:42 am

SirTravers wrote:Nip it in the Bud!!! rofl
If you nip the flowers off the plants will grow longer. Just let them keep going until the stalks brown out at the end of the season. Also if you get any seed pods throw them away as they are poisonous and icky... I know I know...but I still have kids so it's a normal word hehe.

Thanks so much!! The potatoes are now nipped.
dmpower
dmpower

Female Posts : 82
Join date : 2010-04-06
Location : 5b Bloomington Indiana

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Dumb question

Post  jenjehle 5/21/2010, 3:02 pm

I have, what may seem like, a dumb question.


Do the potatoes grow in the bottom near the roots or do they grow along and up the stem? So when I go to harvest them after the stems turn brown, will the potatoes be in the straw or in the dirt in the bottom?

Thanks Smile
jenjehle
jenjehle

Female Posts : 248
Join date : 2010-04-06
Age : 53
Location : Fort Wayne, IN - Zone 5B

http://picasaweb.google.com/107169543203897472824?feat=email

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  Wyldflower 5/21/2010, 3:29 pm

Simple answer is "YES"

The potatoes will grow along the roots... and the little hairs on the stems will send off roots as they get covered, so they will develop tubers as well. Smile
Wyldflower
Wyldflower

Female Posts : 526
Join date : 2010-03-21
Age : 73
Location : Colorado Springs, CO Zone 5b

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty How wet is too wet?

Post  jenjehle 6/21/2010, 6:04 pm

My straw potatoes in 20 gallon tubs have been subjected to some serious rain the past month. Most of the time, it would rain soon after a previous rain, without time in between for the straw to dry out.

Now my straw, and everything in the tub, seems soggy. I didn't dig all the way down to the bottom but when I checked 6-8 inches down, it was pretty goopy. There are many holes drilled in the bottom of the tubs and we put a couple boards under the tubs so they are not sitting in wet grass absorbing more liquid.

Any thoughts about this? Should I throw something over the tubs to shield them from more rain for now? Should I remove some of the straw and add dry straw? Should I dump them and forget the whole thing until next year and try again?

I'd love any advice you have.

Here is a picture of my potatoes but it's pretty early in the season. They don't look this great now. They look more beaten up and a little discolored.

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Potato10
jenjehle
jenjehle

Female Posts : 248
Join date : 2010-04-06
Age : 53
Location : Fort Wayne, IN - Zone 5B

http://picasaweb.google.com/107169543203897472824?feat=email

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  Gremlynn 10/22/2012, 1:45 pm

Chopper wrote:Don't know if you have a lawn, Megan, but I use my dried grass clippings in lieu of straw. Also, if there is a feed store near you, you should be able to get straw there - but get STRAW not HAY because straw will not have seeds and hay most certainly will.

Sometimes straw does have seeds. I got some straw for my rabbit and some if it fell on the ground and into my box that I have grass (trying) to grow, and the grass is only about an inch and a half. It has been growing for 4-5 months. (any ideas on making it do better?) The seeds from the wheat straw grew (about a month now) and are a good 5-6 inches tall. Just giving my experience. Smile
Gremlynn
Gremlynn

Posts : 1
Join date : 2012-10-22
Location : Wichita, Kansas USA

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  Nonna.PapaVino 10/22/2012, 10:38 pm

Gremlynn, I agree with you. We used straw on one of the old long beds two years ago, and we have wheat growing here and there. Have to admit, I let it grow and pick the mature wheat grains to teach the grandkids about where their bread comes from. Then I put the grain out for the Stellar Jays who love it almost as much as popcorn. Nonna
avatar
Nonna.PapaVino

Female Posts : 1435
Join date : 2011-02-07
Location : In hills west of St. Helens, OR

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  Goosegirl 10/23/2012, 8:45 am

First year I used straw as a mulch (pre-SFG) I had wheat growing between all my plants. Personally, I thought it was pretty cool and let several of the stalks stay and grow! I only pulled up the stuff that was going to shade or crowd my garden. Everything then got layered with my scraps for sheet composting.

GG
Goosegirl
Goosegirl

Female Posts : 3424
Join date : 2011-02-16
Age : 59
Location : Zone 4A - NE SD

Back to top Go down

looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!? Empty Re: looks like my potatoes may start to flower?!?

Post  Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum