Information and discussion for successfully cultivating potatoes, the world's fourth largest crop.
|
![]() |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
![]() |
#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Central Arkansas
Posts: 190
|
![]()
Does anyone have a good source for hard to find or oddball potato tubers? I would like to plant an assortment of colors, sizes, and shapes this year.
Should I post in the "wanted" forum? I would be willing to do a trade if there are no commercial sources. Thanks. S. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#2 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 4,488
|
![]() Quote:
__________________
Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Central Arkansas
Posts: 190
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Western WI
Posts: 359
|
![]()
OK this got me to thinking about the limited choices here and I too started looking around. Shipping could be a real issue.
Anyone done business with mainepotatolady or MooseTubers?
__________________
Pleasant Valley Produce see us on Facebook! |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: zone 6b, PA
Posts: 5,664
|
![]()
I've used Ronniger's both before and after it was sold and had very good experiences with the company. Last year I tried MooseTubers and service was satisfactory but they ship VERY late for my area (didn't arrive until about the 3rd week in May) so the tubers didn't have time to get very big before the inevitable leaf diseases took them down. I saved most of the tubers for seed and will try planting them this year. The shipping was a bit earlier from Ronniger's but still later than I can get the common varieties of seed potato at the local Agway. The other thing that's good about shopping locally is that you can choose the size of the tubers- most of the ones I got from MooseTubers were too large to plant whole and I also have better result if I don't cut them. Also ordered from Johnny's to get Adirondack Red and A. Blue one year. The shipping makes it a really $$$ experiment.
Last edited by kath; January 30, 2013 at 04:11 PM. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Western WI
Posts: 359
|
![]()
Thank-You. No question locally is best but I only get about 6 variety choices around here.
Thanks for the Ronniger's lead.
__________________
Pleasant Valley Produce see us on Facebook! |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Central Arkansas
Posts: 190
|
![]()
The shipping dates won't work for me for sure. I would need something by about mid March.
I would even consider mini tubers if someone has some TPS growouts. I have some cool stuff I can trade. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Central Arkansas
Posts: 190
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Annapolis Maryland Zone 7
Posts: 120
|
![]()
I have only planted potatoes for 2 years. Last year I ordered mine from Peaceful Valley (www.groworganic,com) ...the timing worked out for my zone 7. I had great results....not sure if they have the unusual varieties you may be looking for as I am new to Potatoes !
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 4,488
|
![]() Right, but here is how Tom recommends it. Grow TPS and choose the best from year 1 for your tubers for year 2. I know it is longer. But you do get a crop the first year and an even better crop year two! ![]()
__________________
Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: zone 6b, PA
Posts: 5,664
|
![]()
I think it depends on what you're looking for but most of all on your soil and climate. The varieties that have worked the best for me here, for the most part, are some of the ones that are available locally (duh- guess that's why they stock them): Red Norland, Yukon Gold, Kennebec, and All Red. Others that grew ok and that I loved for flavor are: Desiree and Carola but I have to order seed potato for those and it's really pricey. Augusta and Elba from Moose Tubers did the best of the seven or so that I ordered from them last year but it'll take another year of growing before I know if they're keepers. Desiree and Carola are very "pretty" potatoes, maybe important if you are selling at a market but they also taste heavenly. Augusta and Elba grew quite large compared to the others that were planted so late last year- not so pretty but the taste is very good.
Although I've been growing potatoes since 1986, with some new varieties I still have trouble with scab and what always takes the plants out are the leaf diseases which I think are spread by the cucumber beetles and leafhoppers which I find impossible to control and helped by our always wet and humid conditions. My best tubers are in by early April at the latest and nearly dead by mid to end July. Then again, since they're mostly early to mid season varieties, they're still a good size. Storage is a problem because when I harvest it's still nearly 3 months away from my basement being cold, but usually we're still able to eat potatoes until March or so. Other varieties that I've tried but that haven't done very well here for one reason or another include: Adirondack Red Adirondack Blue Adora Alby's Gold All Blue Anoka Austrian Crescent Bintje Bison Buffalo Butte Caribe Charlotte Chiefton Dark Red Norland Early Ohio German Butterball Gold Rush Green Mountain (grew well but too lumpy for me) Irish Cobbler Katahdin Krantz Nicola Norgold Russet Purple Viking Red Bliss Red Chiefton Red Cloud Red Companion Red Gold Red Pontiac Reddale Red Ruby Russet Burbank Russet Norkotah Russian Banana Sangre Satina Shepody Superior I don't want to discourage anyone from trying any of these potatoes but am just sharing what has and hasn't worked for me in my garden in my little corner because you asked for recommendations- which I really can't give. Hopefully someone who lives closer to you can help you out with what's suited to your soil/climate. I'm going to try a couple TPS varieties this year to see what happens. kath Last edited by kath; January 30, 2013 at 06:07 PM. Reason: additions |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Annapolis Maryland Zone 7
Posts: 120
|
![]()
Wow, i have a lot to learn about growing potatoes ! I had no idea there were this many varieties !
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Durhamville,NY
Posts: 2,706
|
![]()
I remember a National Geographic Article from the 70's or early 80's that said there where thousands of varieties.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Western WI
Posts: 359
|
![]()
Ummmm......thats quite a list!
__________________
Pleasant Valley Produce see us on Facebook! |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Alabama
Posts: 2,250
|
![]()
In the end, it gets down to climate and preference. You can grow quite a few commercial varieties. I would suggest picking categories as well as colors.
La Ratte - Waxy type, typically productive, flavor is excellent Kennebec - ubiquitous, typical white, very high production, good for fries. Yukon Gold - not the best gold you can grow, but it is most available. Azul Toro - So far, this is the best blue I've grown. Purple Majesty - a widely available purple, decent production, not as versatile as Azul Toro. I saw more diversity in Tom Wagner's plantings last fall than I had ever seen before. I brought back half a dozen samples to grow in my garden including a purple skin white flesh line and a sandy skin white flesh potato that looked better than most I've grown. DarJones |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
|