Sad potatoes

squaredeal 7/17/2011, 12:12 am

Is this potato blight? These are red potatoes in a container using strictly compost. I've been reluctant to show this photo since they are not in SFG proper, or in Mel's mix. They have not flowered. I've checked older posts in this forum and checked on Google and asked our garden's master gardener. She recommended I just keep deep watering them (I use a water cone). If it is blight, it has not spread to the tomatoes. New growth seems healthy, at least on one stem. Suggestions would be appreciated.

squaredeal 7/18/2011, 4:27 pm

I'm going to answer my own post for the veggie data miners next year! No, it isn't, ... I think. These red babies never bloomed, but that didn't stop them from making a bunch of cute spuds. I'm a proud Mom of quintets. ... and these were the ones near the top of the container. I'm still nursing my plants, but now I'm all excited. I'm the only one in the community garden with potatoes. They will go great with my beans tonight.

FamilyGardening 7/18/2011, 4:37 pm

good to hear its not blight!!

looks like they are dieing off....normal for potatoes Very Happy

congrats on your spuds!

hugs
rose

BackyardBirdGardner 7/18/2011, 7:53 pm

I agree that it looks normal. When did you plant those?

I am waiting for heat to break to get some more in the garden for fall....hopefully. Mine did "ok" for spring/early summer and my first attempt. I am hoping to land some on the Turkey Day table this year.

**Kelejan** 7/19/2011, 1:12 am

Squaredeal, those look like the taters I got from my first pot and they tasted wonderful. Also they did not bloom, unlike another kind I have which are a mass of blooms.

Both of them are still going green and strong so I am hoping they will be quite a harvest.

squaredeal 7/27/2011, 11:35 pm

My final chapter on my community garden potatoes for this year. I only found two more firm potatoes close to the surface. I turned out my container and found several large red potatoes - all rotten - some already turned into goo. The bottom third of my container was moist while the upper two thirds was dry. All the rain, followed by all the drought. I suspect that I had insufficient drainage. I had drilled multiple holes into the bottom of my container - one of those flexible totes sold everywhere this year - but they must have been too small.

I took home my beautiful potato compost soil, added peat and vermiculite, and have created two deck railing containers for lettuce. I'll wash and bleach out the potato bin and try again next year.

FamilyGardening 7/27/2011, 11:59 pm

awww sorry to hear that squaredeal Sad

the gooey mushy ones might have been the seed potato?

the weather really can make trouble in the garden.....take it from a PNW-ener What a Face

hugs

rose

**Furbalsmom** 7/28/2011, 12:51 am

SquareDeal, so sorry to hear your potatoes did not do well.

You said you placed holes in the bottom of the tote, did you also make holes around the bottom edge of the sides? I have found that sometimes if all the holes are on the bottom, the drainage is not sufficient (tomatoes, in my case)

Much better luck next year.

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Sad potatoes

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rotten potatoes

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