Potatoes, I have 10 Days

AlittleSalt · February 21, 2015

I bought some seed potatoes. Due to medical problems, I basically can't go outside or do anything for 10 days.

It just means that I'll be planting a few days late for local potato planting dates.

I have the seed potatoes, so what can I do between now and March 1 to make them produce better?

I have 3# of Red Lasota and 3# of White Ke**&^%... whomever invented cursive writing - A bad day huh.

February 21, 2015

You can chit them - just set them in the light so they start sprouting.

clkeiper · February 21, 2015

They will be okay for that amount of time. Just take care of yourself. Home grown potatoes are much better than store bought. You will enjoy them the same whether they were in the ground on time or not. Anybody in your family willing to help you out? Friends, neighbors or if you go to church, someone from church to help if you ask? Or just leave it until you feel better if you want to do it yourself. I hope you feel better soon.

Worth1 · February 21, 2015

Soil temps determine the amount of potatoes you get.
Even if you are a little late nothing beats new potatoes.

Get the folks to go out and do it for you while you bark orders in the shade out of the sun.

Worth

AlittleSalt · February 21, 2015

Thank you all

I have them both out in the light now. The white ones are White Kennebec. (Spell check helped decipher it) I have some other potatoes that I bought back in November for Thanksgiving. They are US #1 bakers that have grown eyes. The eyes are a dark color, and the potatoes are still firm. Could I possibly plant those too?

Carolyn, there are a lot of people I could ask, and I know many of them would plant them for me, but it's something I need to do. Gardening is my form of therapy. And thank you

lol Worth

clkeiper · February 21, 2015

I have planted "old" potatoes and had them grow just fine. Others say not to do it you may have disease spores on the spuds, but I haven't worried over it too much myself. If they don't look sick, they probably aren't if you have had them for a while. Usually if they don't have any lesions on the skins or other questionable spots, I don't stress too much about it...because if you can't eat them what other option for them is there?

I am glad there are those you can ask, but doing it for yourself is even better. take care.

KarenO · February 21, 2015

To be safe, It is always best to only grow certified seed potatoes. Late blight can survive on infected tubers. Not worth the risk for a few free seed potatoes. I believe the practice of planting non certified seed potatoes , by home gardeners, may well be the source of most blight outbreaks.
just my opinion
KO

Worth1 · February 21, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenO

To be safe, It is always best to only grow certified seed potatoes. Late blight can survive on infected tubers. Not worth the risk for a few free seed potatoes. I believe the practice of planting non certified seed potatoes , by home gardeners, may well be the source of most blight outbreaks.
just my opinion
KO

That's what happened in Ireland isn't it?

Worth

NathanP · February 22, 2015

Quote:

That's what happened in Ireland isn't it?

Not exactly, though that was a factor. The strain of late blight had mutated at that point, making them more virulant, and it was severely compounded by the fact that there was so little genetic diversity that there was no resistance. Yes, seed tubers were saved from year to year, no one understood what was going on with the life cycle of late blight, and monoculture cropping potatoes with no resistance spelled out a recipe for disaster. Most of those ingredients are still true with the majority of potatoes grown today, by the way.

AlittleSalt · February 22, 2015

A picture says a million words: HNI_0022.JPG Grow it or Burn it? I'll add my first poll here just for fun.

Stvrob · February 22, 2015

boil it, no need to burn it,

Worth1 · February 22, 2015

I say cook it and eat it.

Worth

clkeiper · February 22, 2015

It looks perfectly edible to me. We used to peel the eyes off all the time... before they started spraying them with something to repress that from happening. Remember when we were kids? the potatoes all started sprouting before we used up the bag? I sure do. Now they don't

... what is sprayed on them to do that and do I want to eat them? nope. I would rather grow them or buy them from a roadside stand . I think we have gone through almost 100 pounds of potatoes this Fall/Winter. I have a few left and afew still in the garden, but i suspect they will start growing before I can get them dug out.

Worth1 · February 22, 2015

We used to grow potatoes at home and put them in the basement in the TV area we called the den.
This place was huge and one section was the potatoes and the other was for watching TV.

I remember my mother telling use to go down and pick out our potatoes for supper.
As you may well know we would always pick out the very best ones being the greedy little kids we were.

So at the end of the winter all we had to eat was the shriveled up ones with sprouts on them.

To this day I will still eat the old shriveled up potatoes and dried up cheese with white mold on it as this is how I was raised.

Worth

View Poll Results: Should I plant It or Burn It?
Plant it and see what happens.	3	100.00%
Burn it! Get rid of it!	0	0%
Voters: 3. You may not vote on this poll

February 21, 2015	#3
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	They will be okay for that amount of time. Just take care of yourself. Home grown potatoes are much better than store bought. You will enjoy them the same whether they were in the ground on time or not. Anybody in your family willing to help you out? Friends, neighbors or if you go to church, someone from church to help if you ask? Or just leave it until you feel better if you want to do it yourself. I hope you feel better soon. __________________ carolyn k

February 21, 2015	#6
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	I have planted "old" potatoes and had them grow just fine. Others say not to do it you may have disease spores on the spuds, but I haven't worried over it too much myself. If they don't look sick, they probably aren't if you have had them for a while. Usually if they don't have any lesions on the skins or other questionable spots, I don't stress too much about it...because if you can't eat them what other option for them is there? I am glad there are those you can ask, but doing it for yourself is even better. take care. __________________ carolyn k

February 22, 2015	#10
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	A picture says a million words: HNI_0022.JPG Grow it or Burn it? I'll add my first poll here just for fun. Last edited by AlittleSalt; February 22, 2015 at 02:04 AM.

February 22, 2015	#13
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	It looks perfectly edible to me. We used to peel the eyes off all the time... before they started spraying them with something to repress that from happening. Remember when we were kids? the potatoes all started sprouting before we used up the bag? I sure do. Now they don't... what is sprayed on them to do that and do I want to eat them? nope. I would rather grow them or buy them from a roadside stand . I think we have gone through almost 100 pounds of potatoes this Fall/Winter. I have a few left and afew still in the garden, but i suspect they will start growing before I can get them dug out. __________________ carolyn k

February 21, 2015	#1
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Potatoes, I have 10 Days I bought some seed potatoes. Due to medical problems, I basically can't go outside or do anything for 10 days. It just means that I'll be planting a few days late for local potato planting dates. I have the seed potatoes, so what can I do between now and March 1 to make them produce better? I have 3# of Red Lasota and 3# of White Ke*&^%... whomever invented cursive writing - A bad day huh. Last edited by AlittleSalt; February 21, 2015 at 02:49 AM.*

February 21, 2015	#2
LDiane Guest Posts: n/a	You can chit them - just set them in the light so they start sprouting.

February 21, 2015	#4
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Soil temps determine the amount of potatoes you get. Even if you are a little late nothing beats new potatoes. Get the folks to go out and do it for you while you bark orders in the shade out of the sun. Worth

February 21, 2015	#5
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Thank you all I have them both out in the light now. The white ones are White Kennebec. (Spell check helped decipher it) I have some other potatoes that I bought back in November for Thanksgiving. They are US #1 bakers that have grown eyes. The eyes are a dark color, and the potatoes are still firm. Could I possibly plant those too? Carolyn, there are a lot of people I could ask, and I know many of them would plant them for me, but it's something I need to do. Gardening is my form of therapy. And thank you lol Worth

February 21, 2015	#7
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	To be safe, It is always best to only grow certified seed potatoes. Late blight can survive on infected tubers. Not worth the risk for a few free seed potatoes. I believe the practice of planting non certified seed potatoes , by home gardeners, may well be the source of most blight outbreaks. just my opinion KO

February 22, 2015	#11
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	boil it, no need to burn it,