Ugh!!! My potato plants went crazy

milaneyjane 6/13/2010, 4:34 pm

and were almost a foot tall before I could add more soil today. potato - Ugh!!! My potato plants went crazy Icon_mad

I spent so much time building two 3x3 ft potato towers (it was no easy task doing it by myself) and thought it would be no problem to keep covering them. Ha! The little buggers went bizzerk in a matter of a few rainy days and I think I missed my window for getting the dirt on so they keep making potatos all the way up the tower. I covered them anyway, but I don't think I will add any more boards at this point---I am at about 12 inches of dirt. Maybe next year we will try again.

nursekat424 6/13/2010, 5:31 pm

if they hadnt started flowering yet i think you should be ok. i believe thats what i read when i was researching potatoes, cant guarantee that but someone more experienced with potatoes might know for sure. good luck with them. i know mine took off also. had to cover them every day almost. you could almost see them growing.

Chopper 6/13/2010, 5:39 pm

Same problem here. Building my own and limited funds have meant not being able to keep up! Mine are in 16" of soil and about another foot+ tall. No wood until Tuesday. potato - Ugh!!! My potato plants went crazy Icon_sad

Mine already started flowering too. I picked them off but may just let them do what they will do in the 16" and make a note for next year.

Megan 6/13/2010, 5:50 pm

Same here. Mine are in about 14" to 16" of soil, the plants themselves are about 2ft tall beyond that and I have pinched a few blooms. We have the lumber, though... now just have to bribe hubby to build the box for me!

Chopper 6/13/2010, 5:54 pm

Now Megan! If I can do it, you can do it. My final easy fix is that I bought some right angle brackets. Once I got those, putting a box together was easy. And I have them cut the lumber at the box store.

Megan 6/13/2010, 6:40 pm

I am perfectly capable of getting out the table saw and the drill, but this way, it gets him involved. ;-) And we will have to wait until tomorrow, as he didn't get enough lumber, and neither one of us wants to go out again today. It is HOT out there! Just turned the sprinklers on again.

milaneyjane 6/14/2010, 1:23 pm

Somewhere online when I was researching the potato towers I read that after they are 4-6 inches tall and they are not covered, they will not produce new tubers. Something about being exposed to the air and why so many people don't get the harvest they were expecting. I guess I will try a few more boards. When I made my towers the young man at Home Depot was nice enough and cut all my boards for me that I wanted for the whole summer. I was able to get the wood from the scrap bin for a steal. I have been digging holes all over my garden for more soil to cover them with, LOL!

milaneyjane 6/14/2010, 1:36 pm

This isn't the same link I was referring to but it is the same idea:

definitely cover all but the very top leaves to avoid letting sun get to the stalks and lower leaves. Ciscoe says at 4 inches cover all but the top inch. The concern is apparently if the stem and leaves get too much sun they don’t produce potatoes.

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Ugh!!! My potato plants went crazy

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