time frame for planting potatoes

Gardeneer or Fred, have you harvested anything yet?

I ended up planting after all, trying this method: http://www.backwoodshome.com/plant-y...all-or-winter/

It's really late for it but based on what Carolyn and berryman said last year, and the link above, I thought I'd try it anyway.

I had already ordered my seed potatoes for November delivery, so roughly half of them went into this row, 32' long, deep compost and grass clipping trench, and we'll see what happens. My biggest concern is that they'll rot, so a lot will depend on the weather (as always!). I'll plant the rest in the spring and compare.

[NathanP]

You are probably fine doing this in zone 7 or 8 in the southern US. Where I live, even though it is on the edge of zone 6b/7a, it gets too cold for most potatoes to survive in the ground. I get exceptions to this that overwinter - mostly from those that I missed when digging.

It has been raining like crazy here, but warm... yesterday the Forsythia began blooming and today I counted 14 beautiful little potato plants popping up. Looks as if a few of them are a few days up. I must have missed them on my way to and from the compost.

So far, so good; I hope to plant the 2nd row in about 3 weeks or so.

Not the straightest row ever LOL

[Black Krim]

When I looked on line for a reliable source of information, the bottom line was the soil should be 40 degrees, and the night time temps shouldnt go down to the teens very often.

Called local source of seed potatos--not available until mid-March.

In the past I have followed the wives tail of planting peas on St Patricks day. hmmmm.... nothing ever popped up, just rotted in the ground. Planting day has been moved to after April 1st.

Zone 6a, north side of a big hill

[Black Krim]

THis might be helpful---when the dandylions bloom.

https://www.mainepotatolady.com/pdf/...g-potatoes.pdf

Sometimes this link works, sometimes no.
Go to Maine potato lady and look in left column. Below items for sale is a list of informational pages.

North side of a big hill is tough - I can see why the peas wouldn't like March overmuch. When we first moved here i planted Wandos and Laxton's Progress #9 in March; the Wandos did great after a slow start but I never saw the LPs.

I can't open your link but if you read mine in post #46, it shows what I'm experimenting with. Planting half in the fall and half in the spring. We had such an extended cold in January that a pipe burst, and still the Thanksgiving planted potatoes are coming up. We'll see.

[Black Krim]

Your climate is actually much warmer than mine despite the Zone 6 listing. FOr the first time we had a frozen pipe, just enough to stop water flow to kitchen sink. Defrosted before problematic. Genreally we are cold, 20-40 all winter, sometimes less, sometimes more. The ground stays frozen...except for this year!! Last weeek was very warm, then a quick ice storm, then very warm again. Wet soils will be a problem IMO despite the early spring.

Other planting information is that soil should be 50 degrees. ANd some varieties are more tolerant than others for the potatoes. Your varieties might be different than the recommend for my area, so I wont bother listing some of the varieites.

ANd location, location, location. Beds are drier, or bags.

Maine is the 2nd largest acerage in potato production; Maine Potato Lady has good information IMO

[Black Krim]

Would this help for the next time? It is starting the seed potato until eyes appear etc. before setting them in the ground.

https://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog...%20Blog%202016

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by Black Krim

THis might be helpful---when the dandylions bloom.

https://www.mainepotatolady.com/pdf/...g-potatoes.pdf

Sometimes this link works, sometimes no.
Go to Maine potato lady and look in left column. Below items for sale is a list of informational pages.

The same said here about the dandelions.

https://www.thespruce.com/when-to-plant-what-1402752

I'd tend to agree more with letting the blooms tell you when to plant rather than hard-set dates. It doesn't have very much info on Fall or Winter planting though.

Updating my potato experiment: no pics and I didn't properly weigh everything but it seemed like about 60/40 in the Fall planting's favor. They were earlier and definitely larger, even after being hit twice with late frosts and our not-so-garden-great summer weather. I didn't do it this fall but will plan to again in '19.

[Shrinkrap]

Thanks for the update. I try this almost every year. I didn't last year, but some of last years spring crop are still growing, so maybe I'll pull a few, and leave a few growing.

[GoDawgs]

Md, thanks for the update. My sister wanted to try this after reading an article about it and planted an 18' row on Nov 7th from chitted potatoes left from this spring's harvest. Half Yukon Gold, half Red Pontiac.

In another area of the garden where the spring taties had been planted, there were about five or six volunteers that popped up in the fall. They've been hilled and covered with straw so we'll see what happens.

On the down side, due to recent rains the planted row is now at the very edge of the flooded garden area that has developed. I sure hope they don't rot.

You're both very welcome! My greatest concern too was not that they would freeze, but that they might rot. We had buried them deep and covered with compost, and then straw, but it rained a LOT... still, the row came up thick and full - three times, actually, since once I forgot to pull the straw back on a hard frost, and another time it was a surprise frost. My best guess is because the root systems had developed in the warmth of the compost. I'm eager to try it again and see what results.

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

Md, thanks for the update. My sister wanted to try this after reading an article about it and planted an 18' row on Nov 7th from chitted potatoes left from this spring's harvest. Half Yukon Gold, half Red Pontiac.

In another area of the garden where the spring taties had been planted, there were about five or six volunteers that popped up in the fall. They've been hilled and covered with straw so we'll see what happens.

On the down side, due to recent rains the planted row is now at the very edge of the flooded garden area that has developed. I sure hope they don't rot.

Well, the potatoes in that row at the edge of the flooded area did rot. The row was replanted, the potatoes were popping up and now the babies have been fried by frost two nights ago. Forecast was for a low of 40 and we bottomed out at 35 on a windless night.

After reading all the posts on this thread, I'm guessing (hoping!) they'll make it. We'll see. Meanwhile I've piled leaves over the frosted vegetation to prevent damage to anything coming up that hasn't emerged yet.

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

Well, the potatoes in that row at the edge of the flooded area did rot. The row was replanted, the potatoes were popping up and now the babies have been fried by frost two nights ago. Forecast was for a low of 40 and we bottomed out at 35 on a windless night.

After reading all the posts on this thread, I'm guessing (hoping!) they'll make it. We'll see. Meanwhile I've piled leaves over the frosted vegetation to prevent damage to anything coming up that hasn't emerged yet.

I hope you shared in the gorgeous weather we had in N. Florida this past week, and that you’re seeing growth again.
- Joyce