Eddie Willers 1st rookie mistake - planting potatoes

Eddie Willers wrote:I am now convinced that i have planted way too many potatoes, although we have yet to see our yield...

I didn't know it was possible to plant too many potatoes!  LOL

Gardening is a continual learning experience, and we never stop experiencing new things. I have been learning for over 60 years, and still learning new things every year.

So for those who have been following this thread as an unintended experiment in how not to manage potatoes, I figured I was overdue for an update. 

SO three weeks ago, I was starting to get very concerned over the amount of grid squares that were getting completely shaded out by my potato plants that were pushing 30-36" tall and starting to fall over, even after being staked and tied up. That concern coupled with my curiosity as to whether it was even worth keeping these plants going when there might be nothing growing below based on how it all got started, I figured it was time to dig one up and see. 

I dug up the biggest one, which interestingly was one of the ones that I left alone from the outset. Reminder, this would have been planted as a whole potato, without any sprouts, 12" deep, with no measure of hilling at any point. When I dug it up, there was almost a dozen or so potatoes at least the size of a golf ball, with at least half of those large than a baseball. I'd say roughly 2 lbs total weight. All of the potatoes were within 6-9 inches of the surface. Nothing as deep down as my initial seed potato, or at least not that I noticed. I was pretty happy. 

Since then I've been pulling 1-2 plants a week as needed for family supper. Apparently I am supposed to leave them out in the sun to thicken up the skins but the sun never manages to set on these potatoes in the first place. 

The plants that I dug up, replanted, and then hilled up over time seemed not quite do as good, with 1.25-1.75 lbs of potatoes per plant on average. 

So in the end, it seems my rookie mistake mattered not at all, and my kids love digging up the potatoes, which guarantees we will do them again next year. While I won't call it a rookie mistake, I did learn about matching plants of various heights, and next year will have a separate 4x4 just for potatoes.

 The spuds win again!  I mean, they basically kept the Irish people alive on rocky dirt-less soil for centuries...

Love your stories, EW!

Love your write up on the spuds. I have done fairly well with Red Skins for the past 2 years but have grown them in 25 gal landscape pots. I believe one reason for the hilling is to make sure the potatoes stay covered. Potatoes grown in the sun turn green and become toxic. I get my "seed" potatoes from the local product stand, organic potatoes not treated to suppress sprouting. Seems to work for me.

Happy outcome for a Rookie mistake.

So for those who followed last years potato saga closely, I closed out the year with about 20-22 lbs of potatoes from 12 plants. 

This year, I have 16 squares dedicated (a single 4x4 box) entirely to potatoes. 

This year, having the foresight to plan ahead, I managed to get my seed potatoes a month sooner, and after watching the weather and throwing the dice, planted a full month earlier than last year. 

The real experiment, is that this year I decided to plant half my potatoes the same way I did last year, IE by buying the whole potato with no visible eyes or sprouts. Potatoes were then buried 12" deep.  Group A.

The other half I cut into pieces, laid out on a baking sheet, covered in a wet tea towel for a few days and left in a medium lit room for a few more days until sprouts were about 1" and roots were starting to show. The sprouts were then planted to the same depth as the others.  Group B. 

Both groups of potatoes were acquired at the same time. First group straight into the ground. Others were laid out to sprout first. 

That was three weeks ago. 90% of the Group Bs now have leaves poking up 2-3". 
About 50% of the Groups As are poking through, none of them more than an Inch. 

So at this point I'd say "chitting" as it is called has resulted in the potatoes getting 1-2 week head start on just planting direct in the ground. 

And because the plants are inside for that first week, the risk of frost is reduced. Or I could just start the chitting a week sooner...

According to google chitting is also supposed to result in larger yield. So I'll have to report back on that in a few months.

Eddie Willers wrote:So this is turning into a bit of the 2020 Potato saga for me.

Lastly, another problem has arisen. Squirrels. 2 of my seed potatoes that were planted shallow, have been destroyed by squirrels. Or a particular squirrel. By destroyed I mean they chewed off the fragile shoots, dug the potato out and dragged it to the corner of the grid, shredded it into 1,000 pieces, and left it.

I didn't want to have to build a cage, so what are my other options for keeping these squirrels away from digging up my potatoes. Interesting that they didn't go for any of the ones buried 9-12" deep, just the ones in the trench closer to the surface. So far I've gone for the low hanging fruit of dusting cayenne powder all over the place. Any other ideas?

I'm sure that this will prove to be an unpopular answer with some.   First question: Gray or Red?  Reds are native to the US and often are protected, grays are imported (Britain?).  In my case, if they are red I would feed them something that they like better, if they are gray, I suggest squirrel stew, if your local game regulations allow.  Grays are larger and have dominated the native reds.

Eddie, interesting experiment.

A point to consider.

Green Potatoes Can Be Toxic

When exposure to light causes potatoes to produce chlorophyll, it can also encourage the production of certain compounds that protect against damage from insects, bacteria, fungi or hungry animals (3, 4Trusted Source, 5).
Unfortunately, these compounds can be toxic to humans.
Solanine, the main toxin that potatoes produce, works by inhibiting an enzyme involved in breaking down certain neurotransmitters (3, 4Trusted Source).
It also acts by damaging cell membranes and can negatively affect your intestine’s permeability.
Solanine is normally present in low levels in the skin and flesh of potatoes, as well as in higher levels in parts of the potato plant. Yet, when exposed to sunlight or damaged, potatoes produce more of it.
Chlorophyll is a good indicator of the presence of high levels of solanine in a potato, but it isn’t a perfect measure. Although the same conditions encourage the production of both solanine and chlorophyll, they are produced independently of each other (1Trusted Source).
In fact, depending on variety, one potato may turn green very quickly, yet contain moderate levels of solanine. Anther may green slowly, yet contain high levels of the toxin (2Trusted Source).
Nevertheless, greening is a sign that a potato may be starting to produce more solanine.

jimmy cee wrote:A point to consider.

Green Potatoes Can Be Toxic

The good news, though, is that green potatoes can be planted as seed potatoes, and will grow just like any other. The toxic Solanine in the seed potato is not passed on to the new tubers.