I read an article from OG magazine that suggested that russet potatoes grow well whole on top of the ground through hay mulch.
I am trying this experiment under a large cold frame in Birmingham, Alabama. My soil is composed mainly of rich, fully decomposed compost, horse manure, and leaf mold.
Will this grow correctly if I choose large healthly spuds from the grocery store even if it has no eyes yet?
Can I force potato eyes to form from the spuds by leaving them out in a window in broad daylight for several weeks before planting?
e-mail: CURETONW@VMCMAIL.COM Name: William Cureton
Posts: 60 | Location: Birmingham,AL | Registered: February 11, 2002
do not use potatoes from the store they have been treated with an agent that will inhibit sprouting even if they sprout no guarrentess on plants buy seed potatoes you can get them from seeds of change or many other seed catalogs or try your local nursery
Jaemcats is right, but sometimes you will find potatoes that are already sprouting which will work, the problem remains that they are not certified disease free. I do recommend that potatoes are sprouted in a warm bright (not direct sun) room before planting, as this will shorten the harvest time. I let my vines grow 6 inches before planting. The mulch method is the best way to harvest new potatoes without digging up the whole plant, one warning though make sure that any manure used is fully composted first! Not just rotted, otherwise you could have active pathogens.
Organic potatoes from the market (or better yet, a farmer's market in your area) should work, but why, if I may ask, russets? Even the organic ones can fall victim to cat facing, and they are probably the weakest link in the potato world.
www.woodprarie.com can show you a wealth of different seed potatoes: white, red, yellow and fingerling, that beat russets all to heck and back!
Don't forget to use a light covering over the potatoes after emergence. This keeps the potato bugs away. A light garden fabric cover keeps my greenery goin for quite a while.
Don't plant them immediately after tomatoes or eggplant. They are all nightshades and use up the same nutrients.
Sunlight will turn potatoe skins green and green skins are supposed to be bad for you. Of course if you peel them, maybe no problem. I have used hay on my potatoes with a little dirt sprinkled over to keep out light. It still digs out very easy. I have had some green skinned potatoes where they poked through. The plants grow vigorously and I add hay or grass mulch about three times during a season and have been very pleased with the yield per row foot.
A second thought. I start with seed potatoes. But I use my smaller harvested potatoes for next years seed potatoes. That can be done for two years, then it is best to go get fresh seed potatoes. So you only have to buy every three years in my experience. I read that was necessary because you will have problems with a wilt virus developing if you go too many years and sure enough I had a wilt problem the third year. Must be a way around this, but I do not know how.
