If you enjoyed this video, please “Like” and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 Intro To Growing Potato Plants 1:25 Why I Grow Potatoes In Containers 3:57 Fertilizing Potatoes 4:42 How To Harvest Potatoes 7:32 How To Reuse Potting Mix Safely 8:49 How To Cure And Store Potatoes 14:07 Adventures With Dale
HELP!!! QUESTION 🙋🏽♀️ What can I do with the soil after harvesting bag potatoes 🥔 ? Can I reuse it or do I have to toss it, compost? Can I reuse it to plant other vegetables or 🪴???
Boomer gardener here. "Common sense" when I was young was that potatoes were more effort than they were worth in home garden - but some of us figured out that was precisely as you said, because most people grew in ground and had to dig them out. We decided to try containers (no grow bags back then - you kids and your newfangled gadgets!) and after some research went with big pieces of chicken wire formed into a tube with the loose end wires used to secure (if moving is necessary just cut a piece of chicken wire to make a bottom and secure the same way). Then place where you want put a 2 inch layer of pine straw on bottom, drop in your seed potatoes, leave uncovered a few days to induce sprouting. As they grow, line the chicken wire with more pine straw (straw would work just as well I'd think) and add leaves straw and soil, always leaving 6-12 inches of green showing. Come harvest time just unbend the wires from the top down, and if you do this on a hill, make sure the open side will face uphill - if you start at bottom and facing downhill you'll be chasing potatoes (learned that ine the hard way). Amazingly easy to open a section, scooping out the soil and organics as you go, and grabbing the potatoes as you see them. We would just spread the organics as mulch over the now empty spot and it was ready to go for whatever we wanted to plant next there. Chicken wire is useful for a drying platform too - 4 legs and a chicken wire "table top", cover with burlap if you want, gives better air circulation, less need to turn them. Final note: fertilizer doesn't hurt and you may or may not need bone meal, but sulfur both prevents some of the nightshade/cucurbit diseases you mentioned and also helps with chlorophyll production - making the plant stronger and better able to resist disease generally. I think the growbags are too small to maximize production per plant, and the dense soil inhibits root growth - we'd end up with well over 50 lbs of potatoes, closer to 100, from 4 chicken wire containers. Happy gardening - and you kids get off my lawn!
I adore your wisdom. My husband and I purchased our first house last year, and it came with a long back fence LINED WITH GARDEN BEDS! Partial shade, sunny in summer, PERFECT for potatoes.
🥔🥔. Love grow bag potatoes. Just turn it over to harvest. My Mother planted hers in the ground one year, THREE YEARS LATER, she is still finding potatoes.
Thanks MG for another valuable video. I’m getting ready to harvest my potatoes in grow bag’s similar to yours in the video. I have 15 bags total:5 - 20 gal, 5 - 15 gal and 5 - 10 gal. How many sweet potato slips would you recommend for a 20 gal, 15 gal and 10 gal.? Would basil be ok to plant in the potato soil? Thanks, gino
Wow, you explain why potatoes are cured better than anyone I’ve heard before. I didn’t realize the curing was to heal any nicks on the skins. Thank you!
I started growing potatoes a few years ago. I don't buy seed potatoes anymore, I just use the sprouters from the storage potatoes. Works great, tons of potatoes. Never knew how easy it was to grow them.🎉
Yes. You can also do the same thing with sweet potatoes, albeit the process of generating slips is entirely different. Potatoes and sweet potatoes require a one-time investment in the variety, and you just hold onto a couple of potatoes in a cool, dry place to sprout the following season. This can be pushing it for spring-planted potatoes, but if you grow a spring crop *and* a fall crop, the potatoes harvested in the fall can easily store until the following spring for another crop.
@@mattmagog8439 potatoes are like $1/lb now. They’re outrageous. A little bag of russets are $5. Plus, home grown potatoes are vastly superior than old store bought junk. Also, there are countless interesting varieties to try, just like with tomatoes.
Please send some of your rain inland. I'm 65-70 miles west of you and in the past week, we've had 4/10 inches of rain. So far in July, we're at 95/100 inches. My rain barrels are close to dry, even with 1/10 last night. I was a little later starting my potatoes this spring so mine are still pretty green but I don't think it will be long in this heat and with town water! Will try for a fall harvest!
The Ruth Stout method is the best way to grow potatoes... drop potato on soil, cover with straw and mound straw as the potatoes grow.. pullying them is so easy and they are super clean.
I’m in 8B in NW Louisiana. After harvesting the potatoes, I start more peas, usually Mississippi Pink-Eye Purple Hull peas because they can handle the heat of Summer and they’ve fix nitrogen when they’re finished. There’s enough time for a nice amount of them. Yes, I’m a Southern who likes these peas. Of course, any pea or bean would be a good choice.
I only had a few purple hull seeds last year but saved a ziplock bag of them this year. I`m gonna make a new spot for them in the poor soil in my yard (it was bulldozed) in central Louisiana by making small rows with forest soil, mulch well with grass clippings, and next fall I`ll grow greens, beets, turnips, sweet peas, and radishes in them.
very informative! I planted potatoes from store bought last spring, it's in July and i still have green lushy foliage, it's taking a long time to die back..😂I started April 12...
My old neighbor showed me how to grow potatoes the easy way! But you have to have equipment! He told he needed dig potatoes,he was probably late 80'- 90 years old! I got off my horse and said I would dig ! He said no he would show me how to grow potatoes! His garden was at least 50 yards long!He had his soil staked up about 3' tall and 3' wide! He planted his potatoes on top! He got his little tractor and loader,drove in to the pile of dirt! Picked up the bucket and rolled out the dirt! The digging was done potatoes on top! He was a wise man , he was grain farmer and dairy farmer! He was a blessing to be around and great man of God! Always helping and encouraging others!
I grew potatoes for the first time this year. I grow my potatoes in 5 gallon buckets. It worked great. Can we please get a fig update. Lol, because of you and a few other youtubes. I started growing figs this year.
This is my second year / attempt to grow potatoes. First year, I used 5 gallon buckets. Didn't get much of a harvest. This year, they're in a raised bed. I put shade cloth over it back in mid-May, as I recall. I'm near Kansas City. I've been having trouble figuring out WHEN to harvest them. Most of my plants are leaning over. About half have gone mostly yellow. Two of the 9 plants are still almost 100% green, but leaning over. So, after seeing this video, my plan is to harvest them tomorrow morning. My wife will be a huge critic if we don't have a halfway-decent harvest this time. The videos I'd seen in the past never made it clear WHEN I should harvest them. The key main one I followed before finding this channel seemed to suggest harvesting them in early fall. Tried to do that with last year's batch, but we actually had a light frost before I got to them.
Just a follow-up: I just walked in the door from harvesting them. 9 plants.... MAYBE 25 potatoes, most of them small. Found three much bigger ones deeper, half-rotted. I think my soil may have held too much water. (I used bagged stuff, pretty rich. And then I had wood chip mulch on top.) Wondering what I can do to make the soil more acceptable to tomatoes and prevent that kind of rot?
Great tips. I had heard of people planting potato peelings when they couldn’t afford seed potatoes. I stuck some in a grow bag and they have actually been growing plants. I was really late getting them planted, so I’m not expecting much. Next spring I will plant some actual potatoes in the spring.
I planted my potatoes with eyes from the refrigerator in this scorching off season in Florida! Some success so far 2 months in. Some of the tops burned up early on. Wish me abundance!!! We do have rainy season here with daily storms. I am planting 8 plants each month as a test. We had 30" of rain from Hurricane Ian last September making normal winter planting impossible due to floods
Covering them with mulch will help. Don't be afraid to keep adding it to keep them covered. Eventually, it'll cool down and you'll be rewarded. I know it feels like the heat will never end, but the hottest day of the year is July 19, so in less than 2 weeks we already start coming down. Days are shortening and UV index will begin to drop, so even in the oppressive humidity of August, the days are significantly shorter and sun less intense.
@@TheMillennialGardener our sun I Florida continues moving towards us through September so we have a much longer Summer which now seems to last til some point in November. Either way, I will keep hilling them up with sand and add some mulch. For some reason the tops are growing so tall. I only fertilized once. Keep hilling I guess
@@pinschrunner i'm going to take an educated guess and say the soil and or the fertilizer determines the 'so tall' plants. i cant remember which part of the fertilizer promotes leaf growth rather than fruit growth. if ur getting leaves at the expense of potatoes i believe u can just adjust that with the addition of the proper fertilizing 'ingredient.'
@@rosemaryus-ct6151 my soil is the sophisticated plain old sand from the sandbar of Florida where I live! No amendments whatsoever. Just lanky greens. Probably from the phosphates on my property that used to be an orange Grove 40 years ago! 🌴🥥🌱💖
Love growing potatoes! We just harvested 150 lbs of spuds from 25 lbs of seed potato (all in-ground). Not too shabby considering that our Spring was essentially a drought.
Lots of scab on those potatoes. It can be eliminated by lowering the PH to below 6. Really easy to do in containers- many products out there for lowering the PH. I'm sure you know, but for others, scab on potato skins has no effect at all on the quality of the potato flesh. Just peel off the skin and enjoy. I really enjoy your channel and I'm learning a lot. Thanks for all your efforts. As a newish subscriber, I'll be exploring your previous videos.
Dang, I didn't realize the composting part of the advice before. Makes sense to not compost it if you're going to reuse it for potatoes. I'll start keeping multiple piles and keep track of that. Good stuff man.
Umm Hi 👋 I live in Northern Mississippi aka Mid-South area. I planted my potatoes approximately the same time you did. This is my first year growing potatoes, but mine have not bloomed yet. They are still healthy and the leaves/vines already on the ground, outside of the container. I’m assuming that they are not ready yet for harvest? We have had a really cool beginning of spring and summer, of course, the heat is on now, for sure.. lol 🤞🏼 thank you for sharing!!
This has also been my issue… I am waiting forever for them to “die back” or bloom and it always seems still growing then I eventually just look to see and there are no potatoes growing
I tried to do grow bag potatoes here in Los Angeles, but it is just too dry. So, I use the rope handled tubs that are typically used to hold beverages at parties, and that works perfect. Home grown spuds are the best!
Great info as always. I didn't know about the disease transfer. I've been growing in galv. tubs and was starting to think about the rotation for next year. This info adds another kink into it, lol. Could also explain why my tomato plants look horrible this year. I moved the tubs and didn't mark what was grown in the prior year and I bet they got put into the potato tubs. Got any tips about corn and garlic? After harvesting the garlic tubs, I replanted with corn. Had one germinate the first round. None the second (both of those rounds were last years seed) and now I've planted a third round (68 day) with this years seed. I don't know if the failure was old seed or something in the tubs from the garlic that is preventing the corn from germinating. The one that has germinated is growing well. My Gidget was pretty spooked when the city shot off their annual fireworks this year. Never seemed to bother her in prior years, but she's getting old and seems to freak out more with storms, etc.
I would wager the potatoes transferred diseases to the tomatoes. Rotation is important if you have tomato diseases in your area. Corn in backyard settings requires skill. This video will answer all your questions if you’re willing to put in the work: ruclips.net/video/FTnou9SfFm8/видео.html
I’m visiting NC right now in early July, from Ohio. I’m so jealous of how great the soil and the weather is down here. I’m still doing pretty good with my patio garden in the capital city.
You must be pretty far inland. The coast has very poor soil and the weather this time of year is very rough. We’ve had 6-7 days of rain in a row, and it is difficult to go outside from the extreme humidity. Ohio has pretty good soil. The winters are just too long for me 😆 I’ve been to Columbus 9-10 times. I do a lot of highway work there.
i'm in northwest nc and the soil in my yard is clay... i plant above ground in containers with miracle gro moisture control potting soil. in ct i planted in homemade compost from cut grass, mulched maple leaves [not oak] and horse dung. threw them in a raised bed and god did the rest. beautiful black soil. over time any soil can be amended. when i had inground rows in ct i mulched with cut grass and in the spring i turned it under with a shovel down the row. u can make amended soil in a plastic trash barrel with drain holes in the bottom. layer mowed grass [more] and ur bad dirt [less], leave the top off. god waters it. u can turn it into a second barrel with a pitchfork periodically to hasten the process and mix it. once u have compost u can bungee cord the cover on so it dries out to work with.
Good video timing. I live in upstate NY and planted my potatoes the first week of May in an old garden bed. I am trying 3 types of potatoes- early, mid season, and late. We had a very dry May but torrential rain and higher temps for 4 weeks. Early potatoes are starting to flower. Needed advice on curing. My container potatoes were harvested and eaten quickly. No storage needed. Delicious. Am trying 6 sweet potato plants this year. Having fun.
Great video as usual! I grew a first early gold variety for the first time and had so much fun harvesting my buried treasure 😊 But.... followed your instructions for drying and curing (in my garage, like you. Used a tarp insteadof cardboard). By about the 3rd day they have taken on a light green tinge 😢 oh no! Is this normal?? I will cry if I have to throw them away!
Great video! We live just south of Raleigh. So your videos are always super helpful! We’re growing potatoes for the first time this year and I already have more sprouting for our second harvest. 😁 thanks for sharing so much info!
i'm west of greensboro; hello neighbor lol. i've not yet grown potatoes [except once one plant for my 'city' kids who thought everything grew on a tree like an apple hahaha]. newbie question: i know eventually old potatoes in the frig will grow sprouts; is there something i should do to encourage timely sprouting for a potato crop?
i love ur vids my friend; i am in nc [an accidental transplant from ct]. how big are those bags u used for the potatoes? do u use the same size grow bag for all ur bagged plants? does the black color of the bag 'bake the roots' like a black plastic nursery pot would? i am considering using one long piece of neutral fabric skirt such as burlap around a group of pots to avoid that.
Informative video. I am taking notes from your content to refer to when I attempt to grow potatoes. Have you yet created a video related to sweet potatoes? I searched your playlist but didn’t see one. I always learn something from your videos that will help me to grow a better garden. Thanks!
I had a terrible harvest in my 25 gallon grow bags. I used certified organic seed potatoes. I only got a couple potatoes from 4 bags. Hope I can plant for a fall garden.
That is likely due to under-fertilizing. Potatoes are very heavy feeders. Fertilizing them once every two weeks with bone meal and an organic fertilizer, and a drink of Jack’s 20-20-20 to boost them if they’re in containers, will fix that.
HELP!!! QUESTION 🙋🏽♀️ What can I do with the soil after harvesting bag potatoes 🥔 ? Can I reuse it or do I have to toss it, compost? Can I reuse it to plant other vegetables or 🪴???
Great video. I saw a comment elsewhere describing how some old timers would remove the above soil growth and leave the potatoes in the ground for a week or so to cure before harvesting. The soil provides the moisture/temperature buffer. I haven't tried it, but I do think it's worth considering and will be doing it myself.
Nice papas, MG!👍I do several plantings of potatoes. I stagger the plantings, which keeps us eating fresh potatoes year round. I also grow mine on leaf mold or leaves. I continue to grow them in the same container...no rotation of the crop. I never have a problem. I start my first planting early by starting my sprouted seed potatoes in individual pots indoors. I grow them into small plants, which I transplant into outdoor containers. Potatoes are fun and easy to grow. Hopefully, you'll get more folks growing papas!😃👍
hey valerie !!! how far apart do u stagger the plantings? what planting zone are u in? i'm in 7b [north carolina]. i'd have to skip a winter planting. in ct i made compost for planting; used cut grass and mulched maple leaves from my yard, horse dung from a friend. just threw it into a raised bed and god did the rest of the work. there's only pin oak leaves at home in nc; oak leaves never want to compost. it kills me to buy dirt lol. we use the miracle gro moisture control because it gets so hot in the summer. the dirt is pure clay here, just like in ct.
@rosemaryus-ct6151 Howdy!👋 I'm in zone 8a, Central Texas. I don't make a schedule for staggering my tatar planting...usually, it's like this morning when I came across a tatar sprouting. 😃 Soon, it will be put into a pot. 👩🏾🌾 Some of the tatars I use as seed are purchased seed potatoes; however, many are organic potatoes that sprout before we get to finish eating them.🥔 In the summer heat I grow the tatars in partial shade or under shade cloth. I usually do my last harvest in November. Our first frost date is the last week of November.
can the soil in the containers be reused to grow potatoes again? I am just digging up my potatoes, but would want to grow them again in the fall. Can I use the same soil or would it better to not reuse?
I live in NC near Lake Gastonia. I have battled potato beetles this year. I harvested the potatoes and put the vines in a pile to burn. I want to reuse the soil for other vegetables as you suggested, but have concerns. Will you share recommendations on what I should do to the soil to prevent the beetles from eating other vegetables I plant in the soil? I enjoy your videos. Thank you.
This vid came out an hour after I harvested my red potatoes for the very 1st time. Most were good with nice sizes, two were rotted with pest. Gna try again to minimize the rot thing
I planted potatoes in paper bags this week. It will be interesting to see how it goes! I'm curious, do you mulch right away after planting? Or wait until some green stems come up to mulch around them?
Thanks for yhe awesome information ive been watching tons of your video since I found the channel and really appreciate the information. I wonderd though if its detrimental to use cedar wood mulch?
Excellent video on this. I prefer growing them in a very similar fashion (just organic). I have been trying different in ground ways over the past 2 years. In ground harvesting really is a pain. Especially with the Clay soil I have. I tried digging trenches and just setting the potatoes in them and covering them with old rotting hay and chicken compost. Gonna see if I can actually harvest them this year. Not stressing it though. The whole setup cost me 5$ in hay 2 years ago. The potatoes are what I had that sprouted from going like you show. And thanks for the heads up about the cucurbits, I didn't know they could share disease.
I was just noticing my potatoes are ready to get dumped. I’m glad I caught this video, to learn about the curing process. It’s my first time growing potatoes. I just used the growing pantry potatoes. As you know, here in SE NC, we are having torrential downpours on mostly each day and is keeping my potato pot wet. I think I’m going to have to harvest them and my question is, do I need to dry them any differently? Thanks!
Great and very informative video. I wanted to thank you for a video about sweet potato growing. I've done it with my kids and they loved it. Our sweet potato slips are currently growing in our garden. I will watch this video with them too and see if we will try to regular potatoes too. Cheers from California, zone 9b (I really hope we will get some sweet potatoes in our dry heat)
Thank you so much for your amazing helpful videos!! Thanks to you I planted potatoes for the 1st time!! I was amazed off how well they did!! Please please please do a new video in how to transplant container figs to grown. I live in Kentucky zone 6b. I have 14 figs thanks to your advice. Is getting very difficult & time consuming to move my heavy trees in my garage in the winter. I’m going to transplant them in ground. I’m going to need your advice in what to do in the Winter so they don’t die during our heavy snow. How to cover them etc since they will be left outside in ground!! Thank you so much for all the help & great advice you have giving me through the years!! 🙌🏻🦋🤗
Really informative... thank you! I didn't know about the possibility of spreading common diseases affecting nightshade plants to cucurbits. Is there a way to "sterilize" potting mix after a certain number of grow bag cycles -- maybe some type of solarization on top of or under a tarp?
Sorry Dale, my pup doesn’t like fireworks either. I grow my potatoes in my raised beds. I take the runts from the harvest and put them back into the soil.
Have you ever experimented with potato berries? I have some on one of my plants and I'm not pulling it yet because I'm letting them finish ripening. I think it would be fun to find my own favorite from growing them out.
If you’ve never tried Sileo for Dale’s noise anxiety you should give it a shot. It is specifically for noise anxiety. I’ve never had to use it personally but lots of our patients use it during thunderstorm season, 4th of July, and for New Year’s Eve.
Great video What's your suggestion for those that live in very dry climates? I live in Spokane, WA (eastern Washington). With the exception of a few days out of the year, we get rain.. the humidity level is low teens to single digits. I do have a basement that stays roughly 60 degrees year round, but it's still dry. I've heard that you can store root vegetables in either sand or straw. What's your take on that?
Last year I stored my potatoes in a cardboard box so they wouldn’t get light. I’m surprised that hanging in the garage and being exposed even to light and not directly. It’s not a problem. I also don’t have a basement, though I have a crawlspace. I have a barn, but both the crawlspace in the barn have critters during the year. I’m wondering if hanging from bags like yours has attracted critters?
They aren’t exposed to light, but they also won’t be in total darkness. A cardboard box also works. I only have 20 lbs here, so they won’t last long. If I had hundreds of pounds, I would need a better system.
Hi Dale Thanks I learn a lot about growing potatoes and storing them I do have one question. How many years will the grow bags last. And what do you think about the master gardening program. Is it worth the time to take it. Thanks
i have also thought about taking it. it's never too late to learn more. they are 'masters' after all. learning has always been worth it to me for its own sake, regardless of ur particular interest.
Interesting video and to the point as always! What can I sub bone meal with? I'm vegan. What about the wild growing potatoes that you showed? Do they produce some potatoes or they remain small?
This is a sticky subject, because decomposing animal nutrition is always going to be best for plants. At all times, there are insects and worms decomposing in your soil, so soil and compost isn't vegan to begin with because it all will contain insect bodies and parts. Bone meal is going to be the best thing, so if you can use it, your potatoes will really appreciate it. That being said, if you would like an alternative, you can try purchasing a Triple Phosphate product. It likely will not be organic, but it will work as a good substitute to provide additional phosphorus for larger tubers. For a calcium boost, you can also mix triple phosphate with garden lime.
I've been growing potatoes in ground for many years...yes, they are forever 😅! This year, I dropped one in a grow bag. No growth above ground. I thought it died and was going to recycle the bag into growing something else. There were bunches of potatoes under the soil. Have you ever had that happen?
Hello and thank you for such an interesting video. I really enjoy your channel. I live in Canada, in an area where the soil is frozen for several months in winter. If I leave my grow bags full of potting mix outside all winter long, can I safely reuse that soil for growing potatoes next year? In other words, will freezing kill the diseases in the soil? Thank you.
The only reason I haven't planted potatoes is because I've had problems with fruit flies here eating and multiplying from just having a small bag of potatoes in the house. I'll probably try growing them next year!
You can reuse the soil from potatoes for any plant just compost on top of it and add FPJ during the winter and that should rebalance the soil microbes and wipe out any competing funguses 👍
It doesn't happen that quickly. In order to get rid of pathogens, they either have to die off naturally by having no host to attach onto for a long period of time (which is what crop rotation does) or you need to somehow solarize the soil so it gets so hot it kills off everything. Adding compost isn't going to do anything of significance to get off the pathogens. There have been a lot of myths perpetuated by the internet on what compost can do, and most of it is bunk. There's nothing particularly magical about it. If it were that simple, farmers wouldn't have to go through the stress and trouble of rotating crops, but there simply isn't a way around it.
There is no humidity in Arizona where I live. Right now it’s 6% humidity and sometimes will get down to 3 to 5% and if her lucky in August we might get 25 to 30% during monsoon but don’t hold your breath. I live in a very dry area of Arizona. There is no place that’s not air-conditioned and I definitely don’t want the garage Because it will be may be 120° to 130° and no humidity so I guess the potatoes aren’t gonna last too long. However, I have freeze dried some that I purchased to make sure that I didn’t lose him and then when we needed them they would be there. I had a few that I have in my pantry but then areas also air condition because we don’t want all the food being destroyed like a garage because of our heat no-win situation here.
i've been pondering if i can get a frig for the garage here in nc and turn it way down to the right temp [i think he said 60-65 degrees] and use it for a cold cellar year round.
Thinking long term....let's say I grow broccoli in the soil as you suggest. What could I do with the soil after the broccoli is done? Could I go back to potatoes? Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!
Yes. Rotating brassicas and nightshades is a common and excellent plan. Lots of folks also rotate legumes and nightshades. For example, when your first planting of string beans are done, plant your potatoes for fall. Leave the string bean roots in there to decompose and the nitrogen release can feed your potatoes.
I have a question. I am located in zone 6b in Missouri. I planted my potatoes early April. They still have not died off yet. They are still quite lush and green. They haven't even flowered. I don't think they are ready to harvest. What do I do?
I live near KC. I only had one of 9 plants actually flower. I just harvested today, as my plants were maybe 60-70% yellow / wilty / dead. Still got potatoes out of them all (though I was disappointed with the quantity and size, but I'm thinking my soil in my raised bed may hold water a bit too well).
@@DR4296Thanks for your reply. I have a feeling i'm going to get disappointed as well. My plants are still lush and green. I'm gonna wait till they start dying off. I'm hoping it's going to be soon. I hope you have better luck next year.
Had a little blight on our potatoes. Is it safe to use those as seed potatoes or do we eat or discard them? Trying to be more self-sufficient and would like to save seeds to keep the cycle going.
Given the cost of potatoes at the average grocer, the only reason (IMO) to grow potatoes at home is to grow a favorite variety that isn't avalable locally, or because the local grocer is more than 1/2 hour travel time (one way) away from home.
There is actually another - very important - reason to grow organic potatoes at home! Due to retail demands/expectations, potatoes are one of the heaviest users of fungal pesticides by commercial growers. As they are very prone to heavy losses if diseases infect them. Obviously, these chemicals become part of the plants DNA and as consumers we ingest whatever chemicals have been used in growing them! For the health of you and your family it is FAR better to grow your own - and it is SO EASY to grow them in bags! 😊🍀😊
I do see your point about cost. Keith has explained a very good reason to grow our own. Other reasons: it's interesting and fun. And they taste good. And the grandchildren were fascinated to dig potatoes and see how they grow 😊❤
If you enjoyed this video, please “Like” and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience:
0:00 Intro To Growing Potato Plants
1:25 Why I Grow Potatoes In Containers
3:57 Fertilizing Potatoes
4:42 How To Harvest Potatoes
7:32 How To Reuse Potting Mix Safely
8:49 How To Cure And Store Potatoes
14:07 Adventures With Dale
HELP!!! QUESTION 🙋🏽♀️ What can I do with the soil after harvesting bag potatoes 🥔 ? Can I reuse it or do I have to toss it, compost? Can I reuse it to plant other vegetables or 🪴???
11:40 11:40
Thank you for this helpful video!
Boomer gardener here.
"Common sense" when I was young was that potatoes were more effort than they were worth in home garden - but some of us figured out that was precisely as you said, because most people grew in ground and had to dig them out.
We decided to try containers (no grow bags back then - you kids and your newfangled gadgets!) and after some research went with big pieces of chicken wire formed into a tube with the loose end wires used to secure (if moving is necessary just cut a piece of chicken wire to make a bottom and secure the same way).
Then place where you want put a 2 inch layer of pine straw on bottom, drop in your seed potatoes, leave uncovered a few days to induce sprouting.
As they grow, line the chicken wire with more pine straw (straw would work just as well I'd think) and add leaves straw and soil, always leaving 6-12 inches of green showing.
Come harvest time just unbend the wires from the top down, and if you do this on a hill, make sure the open side will face uphill - if you start at bottom and facing downhill you'll be chasing potatoes (learned that ine the hard way).
Amazingly easy to open a section, scooping out the soil and organics as you go, and grabbing the potatoes as you see them.
We would just spread the organics as mulch over the now empty spot and it was ready to go for whatever we wanted to plant next there.
Chicken wire is useful for a drying platform too - 4 legs and a chicken wire "table top", cover with burlap if you want, gives better air circulation, less need to turn them.
Final note: fertilizer doesn't hurt and you may or may not need bone meal, but sulfur both prevents some of the nightshade/cucurbit diseases you mentioned and also helps with chlorophyll production - making the plant stronger and better able to resist disease generally.
I think the growbags are too small to maximize production per plant, and the dense soil inhibits root growth - we'd end up with well over 50 lbs of potatoes, closer to 100, from 4 chicken wire containers.
Happy gardening - and you kids get off my lawn!
very interesting to this old boomer lol. the chasing potatoes part made me chuckle.
I adore your wisdom. My husband and I purchased our first house last year, and it came with a long back fence LINED WITH GARDEN BEDS! Partial shade, sunny in summer, PERFECT for potatoes.
I harvested nearly 200 pounds of potatoes this year!! I’m getting ready to plant again. ♥️
Wow! Amazing work!
🥔🥔. Love grow bag potatoes. Just turn it over to harvest. My Mother planted hers in the ground one year, THREE YEARS LATER, she is still finding potatoes.
I like to do that with sweet potatoes...kinda like having a food foreat
Yep. The house I rented 6 years ago probably still has potatoes growing. Sorry about that 😅
Potatoes forever! I planted some in ground years ago... like maybe 10!
Thanks MG for another valuable video. I’m getting ready to harvest my potatoes in grow bag’s similar to yours in the video. I have 15 bags total:5 - 20 gal, 5 - 15 gal and 5 - 10 gal. How many sweet potato slips would you recommend for a 20 gal, 15 gal and 10 gal.? Would basil be ok to plant in the potato soil? Thanks, gino
Wow, you explain why potatoes are cured better than anyone I’ve heard before. I didn’t realize the curing was to heal any nicks on the skins. Thank you!
I’m glad it was helpful! I try to be descriptive. I want everyone to understand why they should do each procedure.
@@TheMillennialGardenerthat’s beautiful, thank you
I started growing potatoes a few years ago. I don't buy seed potatoes anymore, I just use the sprouters from the storage potatoes. Works great, tons of potatoes. Never knew how easy it was to grow them.🎉
Yes. You can also do the same thing with sweet potatoes, albeit the process of generating slips is entirely different. Potatoes and sweet potatoes require a one-time investment in the variety, and you just hold onto a couple of potatoes in a cool, dry place to sprout the following season. This can be pushing it for spring-planted potatoes, but if you grow a spring crop *and* a fall crop, the potatoes harvested in the fall can easily store until the following spring for another crop.
They are not worth growing they cost nothing but are expensive to grow when you add the cost of fertilizer and soil
Don’t grow the cheap stuff 😂
@@mattmagog8439 potatoes are like $1/lb now. They’re outrageous. A little bag of russets are $5. Plus, home grown potatoes are vastly superior than old store bought junk. Also, there are countless interesting varieties to try, just like with tomatoes.
The best gardening channel on RUclips! You have taught us so much.
Thank you! I’m glad to hear the videos are helpful.
I miss having a basement! 😭Crying in Florida.
I grew mine in cardboard boxes for the first time and it worked great!
We have our grandkids help with potatoe harvest. We plant red pots for them. They are easy to find. We plant several varieties. Well worth the time.
This season is the first time I've planted potatoes. I planted from store bought potatoes in a laundry basket. So far they're doing fantastic!!
Potatoes love containers. As long as the drainage is good, they'll grow in almost anything.
Please send some of your rain inland. I'm 65-70 miles west of you and in the past week, we've had 4/10 inches of rain. So far in July, we're at 95/100 inches. My rain barrels are close to dry, even with 1/10 last night. I was a little later starting my potatoes this spring so mine are still pretty green but I don't think it will be long in this heat and with town water! Will try for a fall harvest!
Just harvested my first successful potatoes now I’m addicted to growing my own
They're awesome! Congrats!
I’m harvesting my potatoes today from a raised bed and planting sweet potato slips that I have in water and waiting! 👍
Good choice!
The Ruth Stout method is the best way to grow potatoes... drop potato on soil, cover with straw and mound straw as the potatoes grow.. pullying them is so easy and they are super clean.
I’m in 8B in NW Louisiana. After harvesting the potatoes, I start more peas, usually Mississippi Pink-Eye Purple Hull peas because they can handle the heat of Summer and they’ve fix nitrogen when they’re finished. There’s enough time for a nice amount of them. Yes, I’m a Southern who likes these peas.
Of course, any pea or bean would be a good choice.
I only had a few purple hull seeds last year but saved a ziplock bag of them this year. I`m gonna make a new spot for them in the poor soil in my yard (it was bulldozed) in central Louisiana by making small rows with forest soil, mulch well with grass clippings, and next fall I`ll grow greens, beets, turnips, sweet peas, and radishes in them.
very informative! I planted potatoes from store bought last spring, it's in July and i still have green lushy foliage, it's taking a long time to die back..😂I started April 12...
My old neighbor showed me how to grow potatoes the easy way! But you have to have equipment! He told he needed dig potatoes,he was probably late 80'- 90 years old! I got off my horse and said I would dig ! He said no he would show me how to grow potatoes! His garden was at least 50 yards long!He had his soil staked up about 3' tall and 3' wide! He planted his potatoes on top! He got his little tractor and loader,drove in to the pile of dirt! Picked up the bucket and rolled out the dirt! The digging was done potatoes on top! He was a wise man , he was grain farmer and dairy farmer! He was a blessing to be around and great man of God! Always helping and encouraging others!
I grew potatoes for the first time this year. I grow my potatoes in 5 gallon buckets. It worked great. Can we please get a fig update. Lol, because of you and a few other youtubes. I started growing figs this year.
The figs are still pretty tiny mostly. Usually by late July some action begins. August and September is fig season here.
I just picked my first ripe figs this morning. Got 15. I'm in zone 8b, Myrtle Beach SC.
This is my second year / attempt to grow potatoes. First year, I used 5 gallon buckets. Didn't get much of a harvest.
This year, they're in a raised bed. I put shade cloth over it back in mid-May, as I recall. I'm near Kansas City. I've been having trouble figuring out WHEN to harvest them. Most of my plants are leaning over. About half have gone mostly yellow. Two of the 9 plants are still almost 100% green, but leaning over.
So, after seeing this video, my plan is to harvest them tomorrow morning. My wife will be a huge critic if we don't have a halfway-decent harvest this time.
The videos I'd seen in the past never made it clear WHEN I should harvest them. The key main one I followed before finding this channel seemed to suggest harvesting them in early fall. Tried to do that with last year's batch, but we actually had a light frost before I got to them.
Half dried tops for harvest i think he said.
Just a follow-up: I just walked in the door from harvesting them. 9 plants.... MAYBE 25 potatoes, most of them small. Found three much bigger ones deeper, half-rotted. I think my soil may have held too much water. (I used bagged stuff, pretty rich. And then I had wood chip mulch on top.) Wondering what I can do to make the soil more acceptable to tomatoes and prevent that kind of rot?
Great tips. I had heard of people planting potato peelings when they couldn’t afford seed potatoes. I stuck some in a grow bag and they have actually been growing plants. I was really late getting them planted, so I’m not expecting much. Next spring I will plant some actual potatoes in the spring.
I think potatoes are one of the most delicious crops You can grow And they take so much better than the store bought
I planted my potatoes with eyes from the refrigerator in this scorching off season in Florida! Some success so far 2 months in. Some of the tops burned up early on. Wish me abundance!!! We do have rainy season here with daily storms. I am planting 8 plants each month as a test. We had 30" of rain from Hurricane Ian last September making normal winter planting impossible due to floods
Covering them with mulch will help. Don't be afraid to keep adding it to keep them covered. Eventually, it'll cool down and you'll be rewarded. I know it feels like the heat will never end, but the hottest day of the year is July 19, so in less than 2 weeks we already start coming down. Days are shortening and UV index will begin to drop, so even in the oppressive humidity of August, the days are significantly shorter and sun less intense.
@@TheMillennialGardener our sun I Florida continues moving towards us through September so we have a much longer Summer which now seems to last til some point in November. Either way, I will keep hilling them up with sand and add some mulch. For some reason the tops are growing so tall. I only fertilized once. Keep hilling I guess
@@pinschrunner i'm going to take an educated guess and say the soil and or the fertilizer determines the 'so tall' plants. i cant remember which part of the fertilizer promotes leaf growth rather than fruit growth. if ur getting leaves at the expense of potatoes i believe u can just adjust that with the addition of the proper fertilizing 'ingredient.'
@@rosemaryus-ct6151 my soil is the sophisticated plain old sand from the sandbar of Florida where I live! No amendments whatsoever. Just lanky greens. Probably from the phosphates on my property that used to be an orange Grove 40 years ago! 🌴🥥🌱💖
@@TheMillennialGardener I have been hilling them up with sand so far. I do a little more every few days with one arm
Love growing potatoes! We just harvested 150 lbs of spuds from 25 lbs of seed potato (all in-ground). Not too shabby considering that our Spring was essentially a drought.
Lots of scab on those potatoes. It can be eliminated by lowering the PH to below 6. Really easy to do in containers- many products out there for lowering the PH. I'm sure you know, but for others, scab on potato skins has no effect at all on the quality of the potato flesh. Just peel off the skin and enjoy. I really enjoy your channel and I'm learning a lot. Thanks for all your efforts. As a newish subscriber, I'll be exploring your previous videos.
Thanks for pointing that out. Was thinking something was odd with the skins on his potatoes.
Dang, I didn't realize the composting part of the advice before. Makes sense to not compost it if you're going to reuse it for potatoes. I'll start keeping multiple piles and keep track of that.
Good stuff man.
Umm Hi 👋 I live in Northern Mississippi aka Mid-South area. I planted my potatoes approximately the same time you did. This is my first year growing potatoes, but mine have not bloomed yet. They are still healthy and the leaves/vines already on the ground, outside of the container. I’m assuming that they are not ready yet for harvest? We have had a really cool beginning of spring and summer, of course, the heat is on now, for sure.. lol 🤞🏼 thank you for sharing!!
This has also been my issue… I am waiting forever for them to “die back” or bloom and it always seems still growing then I eventually just look to see and there are no potatoes growing
I tried to do grow bag potatoes here in Los Angeles, but it is just too dry. So, I use the rope handled tubs that are typically used to hold beverages at parties, and that works perfect. Home grown spuds are the best!
do u put holes in the tubs for drainage? we get torrential thunderstorms on a regular basis in nc so drainage is a must.
All containers must have drain holes. Use a drill 1/4” then 1/2”. Put plenty of drain holes.
Thanks for video. Thank for information cucumbers had some burpless already. Learned a lot. Happy gardening.
I had 2 dogs that hated fireworks. One took off and I didn't find her for almost a month. I grow potatoes in bags myself. An easy great crop.
Great info as always. I didn't know about the disease transfer. I've been growing in galv. tubs and was starting to think about the rotation for next year. This info adds another kink into it, lol. Could also explain why my tomato plants look horrible this year. I moved the tubs and didn't mark what was grown in the prior year and I bet they got put into the potato tubs.
Got any tips about corn and garlic? After harvesting the garlic tubs, I replanted with corn. Had one germinate the first round. None the second (both of those rounds were last years seed) and now I've planted a third round (68 day) with this years seed. I don't know if the failure was old seed or something in the tubs from the garlic that is preventing the corn from germinating. The one that has germinated is growing well.
My Gidget was pretty spooked when the city shot off their annual fireworks this year. Never seemed to bother her in prior years, but she's getting old and seems to freak out more with storms, etc.
I would wager the potatoes transferred diseases to the tomatoes. Rotation is important if you have tomato diseases in your area.
Corn in backyard settings requires skill. This video will answer all your questions if you’re willing to put in the work: ruclips.net/video/FTnou9SfFm8/видео.html
I use 5 gallon buckets to grow my potatoes. They are free from some restaurants (food grade that used to have pickles or soy sauce in them).
We have a wood furnace in our basement and it gets warm in the winter. Thanks for cluing me in the humidity is more important than the temperature!
Thank you for this video . I promise I will plant potatoes next year.
I’m visiting NC right now in early July, from Ohio. I’m so jealous of how great the soil and the weather is down here. I’m still doing pretty good with my patio garden in the capital city.
You must be pretty far inland. The coast has very poor soil and the weather this time of year is very rough. We’ve had 6-7 days of rain in a row, and it is difficult to go outside from the extreme humidity. Ohio has pretty good soil. The winters are just too long for me 😆 I’ve been to Columbus 9-10 times. I do a lot of highway work there.
Back and forth from fort Bragg and Fuquay Varina. It’s beautiful here. We just experienced a huge thunderstorm, it’s been raining all week
i'm in northwest nc and the soil in my yard is clay... i plant above ground in containers with miracle gro moisture control potting soil. in ct i planted in homemade compost from cut grass, mulched maple leaves [not oak] and horse dung. threw them in a raised bed and god did the rest. beautiful black soil. over time any soil can be amended. when i had inground rows in ct i mulched with cut grass and in the spring i turned it under with a shovel down the row. u can make amended soil in a plastic trash barrel with drain holes in the bottom. layer mowed grass [more] and ur bad dirt [less], leave the top off. god waters it. u can turn it into a second barrel with a pitchfork periodically to hasten the process and mix it. once u have compost u can bungee cord the cover on so it dries out to work with.
Very informative, thank you! My potato game has room for improvement.
You're welcome!
Good video timing. I live in upstate NY and planted my potatoes the first week of May in an old garden bed. I am trying 3 types of potatoes- early, mid season, and late. We had a very dry May but torrential rain and higher temps for 4 weeks. Early potatoes are starting to flower. Needed advice on curing. My container potatoes were harvested and eaten quickly. No storage needed. Delicious. Am trying 6 sweet potato plants this year. Having fun.
The last 6-7 mins of the video are dedicated to curing and storage. It should answer all your questions.
I'm growing mine on the top of the soil not buried just covered in about 6 inches of organic local hay. When they pop threw I'll add more hay
Thank you so much. God Bless you for taking time out of your busy day to share this valuable, life saving info. 🙏 ❤
Thanks for the info! I think we're going to try potatoes next year.
Yay potatoes!
first video I've watched of yours. Lots of good information, thank you!
You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
I was able to get the Jacks fertilizer and it is great. Thanks for the info about that
You’re welcome! Glad to hear you’re satisfied!
Hi i like your vids they have very useful tips that have helped me through the process of growing many crops and fruit trees keep up the great work
I’m glad to hear it! I appreciate you watching!
You're correct. Potatoes are by far the easiest veggie to grow with basically zero maintenance and zero pests.
Great video as usual! I grew a first early gold variety for the first time and had so much fun harvesting my buried treasure 😊 But.... followed your instructions for drying and curing (in my garage, like you. Used a tarp insteadof cardboard). By about the 3rd day they have taken on a light green tinge 😢 oh no! Is this normal?? I will cry if I have to throw them away!
Great video! We live just south of Raleigh. So your videos are always super helpful! We’re growing potatoes for the first time this year and I already have more sprouting for our second harvest. 😁 thanks for sharing so much info!
Outstanding! They’re very fun to grow, and very easy.
i'm west of greensboro; hello neighbor lol. i've not yet grown potatoes [except once one plant for my 'city' kids who thought everything grew on a tree like an apple hahaha]. newbie question: i know eventually old potatoes in the frig will grow sprouts; is there something i should do to encourage timely sprouting for a potato crop?
i love ur vids my friend; i am in nc [an accidental transplant from ct]. how big are those bags u used for the potatoes? do u use the same size grow bag for all ur bagged plants? does the black color of the bag 'bake the roots' like a black plastic nursery pot would? i am considering using one long piece of neutral fabric skirt such as burlap around a group of pots to avoid that.
Great video and information! Thank you MG😊👍👍
Informative video. I am taking notes from your content to refer to when I attempt to grow potatoes. Have you yet created a video related to sweet potatoes? I searched your playlist but didn’t see one. I always learn something from your videos that will help me to grow a better garden. Thanks!
ask and thou shalt receive [sweet potato vid]: ruclips.net/video/0igp5IzO21g/видео.html
I had a terrible harvest in my 25 gallon grow bags. I used certified organic seed potatoes. I only got a couple potatoes from 4 bags. Hope I can plant for a fall garden.
That is likely due to under-fertilizing. Potatoes are very heavy feeders. Fertilizing them once every two weeks with bone meal and an organic fertilizer, and a drink of Jack’s 20-20-20 to boost them if they’re in containers, will fix that.
HELP!!! QUESTION 🙋🏽♀️ What can I do with the soil after harvesting bag potatoes 🥔 ? Can I reuse it or do I have to toss it, compost? Can I reuse it to plant other vegetables or 🪴???
Great video. I saw a comment elsewhere describing how some old timers would remove the above soil growth and leave the potatoes in the ground for a week or so to cure before harvesting. The soil provides the moisture/temperature buffer. I haven't tried it, but I do think it's worth considering and will be doing it myself.
Thanks for the shearing 🏆💪💪💪
Learned a lot thanks!
As always love ur videos
Thank you!
Great video brother- Thank you!
Nice papas, MG!👍I do several plantings of potatoes. I stagger the plantings, which keeps us eating fresh potatoes year round. I also grow mine on leaf mold or leaves. I continue to grow them in the same container...no rotation of the crop. I never have a problem.
I start my first planting early by starting my sprouted seed potatoes in individual pots indoors. I grow them into small plants, which I transplant into outdoor containers. Potatoes are fun and easy to grow. Hopefully, you'll get more folks growing papas!😃👍
hey valerie !!! how far apart do u stagger the plantings? what planting zone are u in? i'm in 7b [north carolina]. i'd have to skip a winter planting. in ct i made compost for planting; used cut grass and mulched maple leaves from my yard, horse dung from a friend. just threw it into a raised bed and god did the rest of the work. there's only pin oak leaves at home in nc; oak leaves never want to compost. it kills me to buy dirt lol. we use the miracle gro moisture control because it gets so hot in the summer. the dirt is pure clay here, just like in ct.
@rosemaryus-ct6151 Howdy!👋 I'm in zone 8a, Central Texas. I don't make a schedule for staggering my tatar planting...usually, it's like this morning when I came across a tatar sprouting. 😃 Soon, it will be put into a pot. 👩🏾🌾 Some of the tatars I use as seed are purchased seed potatoes; however, many are organic potatoes that sprout before we get to finish eating them.🥔 In the summer heat I grow the tatars in partial shade or under shade cloth. I usually do my last harvest in November. Our first frost date is the last week of November.
can the soil in the containers be reused to grow potatoes again? I am just digging up my potatoes, but would want to grow them again in the fall. Can I use the same soil or would it better to not reuse?
I live in NC near Lake Gastonia. I have battled potato beetles this year. I harvested the potatoes and put the vines in a pile to burn. I want to reuse the soil for other vegetables as you suggested, but have concerns. Will you share recommendations on what I should do to the soil to prevent the beetles from eating other vegetables I plant in the soil? I enjoy your videos. Thank you.
This vid came out an hour after I harvested my red potatoes for the very 1st time.
Most were good with nice sizes, two were rotted with pest.
Gna try again to minimize the rot thing
Good timing. I had one rotten potato, too. It is inevitable. It’s tough when you grow outdoors with random rainfall patterns.
I planted potatoes in paper bags this week. It will be interesting to see how it goes! I'm curious, do you mulch right away after planting? Or wait until some green stems come up to mulch around them?
Thanks for yhe awesome information ive been watching tons of your video since I found the channel and really appreciate the information. I wonderd though if its detrimental to use cedar wood mulch?
I'm using your grow bag method this year for the first time. How do we know when to harvest?
Excellent video on this. I prefer growing them in a very similar fashion (just organic). I have been trying different in ground ways over the past 2 years. In ground harvesting really is a pain. Especially with the Clay soil I have. I tried digging trenches and just setting the potatoes in them and covering them with old rotting hay and chicken compost. Gonna see if I can actually harvest them this year. Not stressing it though. The whole setup cost me 5$ in hay 2 years ago. The potatoes are what I had that sprouted from going like you show. And thanks for the heads up about the cucurbits, I didn't know they could share disease.
I was just noticing my potatoes are ready to get dumped. I’m glad I caught this video, to learn about the curing process. It’s my first time growing potatoes. I just used the growing pantry potatoes.
As you know, here in SE NC, we are having torrential downpours on mostly each day and is keeping my potato pot wet. I think I’m going to have to harvest them and my question is, do I need to dry them any differently?
Thanks!
northwest nc here. [waves] lol
@@rosemaryus-ct6151 👋😃
SE NC here as well!
@@karricompton 👋😃
We just had another one of those downpours. That makes 5 inches at my house in 3 downpours. You?
@@denisemorrison6331 absolutely we got it too!
Great and very informative video. I wanted to thank you for a video about sweet potato growing. I've done it with my kids and they loved it. Our sweet potato slips are currently growing in our garden. I will watch this video with them too and see if we will try to regular potatoes too. Cheers from California, zone 9b (I really hope we will get some sweet potatoes in our dry heat)
my dirt is clay in nc so we use miracle gro moisture control with good results.
Thank you so much for your amazing helpful videos!! Thanks to you I planted potatoes for the 1st time!! I was amazed off how well they did!! Please please please do a new video in how to transplant container figs to grown. I live in Kentucky zone 6b. I have 14 figs thanks to your advice. Is getting very difficult & time consuming to move my heavy trees in my garage in the winter. I’m going to transplant them in ground. I’m going to need your advice in what to do in the Winter so they don’t die during our heavy snow. How to cover them etc since they will be left outside in ground!! Thank you so much for all the help & great advice you have giving me through the years!! 🙌🏻🦋🤗
Really informative... thank you! I didn't know about the possibility of spreading common diseases affecting nightshade plants to cucurbits. Is there a way to "sterilize" potting mix after a certain number of grow bag cycles -- maybe some type of solarization on top of or under a tarp?
Sorry Dale, my pup doesn’t like fireworks either. I grow my potatoes in my raised beds. I take the runts from the harvest and put them back into the soil.
Have you ever experimented with potato berries? I have some on one of my plants and I'm not pulling it yet because I'm letting them finish ripening. I think it would be fun to find my own favorite from growing them out.
If you’ve never tried Sileo for Dale’s noise anxiety you should give it a shot. It is specifically for noise anxiety. I’ve never had to use it personally but lots of our patients use it during thunderstorm season, 4th of July, and for New Year’s Eve.
Great video
What's your suggestion for those that live in very dry climates?
I live in Spokane, WA (eastern Washington). With the exception of a few days out of the year, we get rain.. the humidity level is low teens to single digits.
I do have a basement that stays roughly 60 degrees year round, but it's still dry.
I've heard that you can store root vegetables in either sand or straw.
What's your take on that?
I heard damp cool sand as well. I would give it a try with a small amount in a Rubbermaid tub
Last year I stored my potatoes in a cardboard box so they wouldn’t get light. I’m surprised that hanging in the garage and being exposed even to light and not directly. It’s not a problem. I also don’t have a basement, though I have a crawlspace. I have a barn, but both the crawlspace in the barn have critters during the year. I’m wondering if hanging from bags like yours has attracted critters?
They aren’t exposed to light, but they also won’t be in total darkness. A cardboard box also works. I only have 20 lbs here, so they won’t last long. If I had hundreds of pounds, I would need a better system.
My garage is humid but also hot af, I keep my store bought potatoes in there but I feel like that environment caused them to sprout and go bad quickly
We live in western Pacific NW Washington. Any suggestions to protect the potatoes from flea beetles? Thanks! Always enjoy learning from your videos!
Hoping for an answer though I’m late to the game! After my first potato harvest how long should I wait before using it for another round of potatoes?
Hi Dale
Thanks I learn a lot about growing potatoes and storing them I do have one question. How many years will the grow bags last. And what do you think about the master gardening program. Is it worth the time to take it.
Thanks
i have also thought about taking it. it's never too late to learn more. they are 'masters' after all. learning has always been worth it to me for its own sake, regardless of ur particular interest.
Its funny that i harvested some of my potatoes the day you uploaded this
It’s just that time of year. I try to film what I’m doing so everything is always relevant and timely.
Hey Dale how about a fig update video
Interesting video and to the point as always! What can I sub bone meal with? I'm vegan. What about the wild growing potatoes that you showed? Do they produce some potatoes or they remain small?
This is a sticky subject, because decomposing animal nutrition is always going to be best for plants. At all times, there are insects and worms decomposing in your soil, so soil and compost isn't vegan to begin with because it all will contain insect bodies and parts. Bone meal is going to be the best thing, so if you can use it, your potatoes will really appreciate it. That being said, if you would like an alternative, you can try purchasing a Triple Phosphate product. It likely will not be organic, but it will work as a good substitute to provide additional phosphorus for larger tubers. For a calcium boost, you can also mix triple phosphate with garden lime.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you very much!
Hi! This is a GREAT video! Quick question, what kind of soil do you buy/create for your grow bags? Thanks!
i believe he has a vid on just that; u could do a search.
@@rosemaryus-ct6151 thank you so much! New to his channel (and to gardening in general) so I’ll do that! ☺️
How far back should the potato plants “die” before I harvest them? Is it ok to harvest once the leaves are yellowish and become a bit dry?
I've been growing potatoes in ground for many years...yes, they are forever 😅! This year, I dropped one in a grow bag. No growth above ground. I thought it died and was going to recycle the bag into growing something else. There were bunches of potatoes under the soil. Have you ever had that happen?
Hello and thank you for such an interesting video. I really enjoy your channel. I live in Canada, in an area where the soil is frozen for several months in winter. If I leave my grow bags full of potting mix outside all winter long, can I safely reuse that soil for growing potatoes next year? In other words, will freezing kill the diseases in the soil? Thank you.
What variety of heat tolerate romaine were you referring to? Thanks!
The only reason I haven't planted potatoes is because I've had problems with fruit flies here eating and multiplying from just having a small bag of potatoes in the house. I'll probably try growing them next year!
I'm in central NC. What variety of lettuce seeds did you plant? I search for the seeds you suggest because our growing season is basically the same.
i dumped the used potting mix that my potato grew in and yes now it seem I have potato forever
Can I plant my dug spring potatoes if they haven't sprouted yet?
You can reuse the soil from potatoes for any plant just compost on top of it and add FPJ during the winter and that should rebalance the soil microbes and wipe out any competing funguses 👍
It doesn't happen that quickly. In order to get rid of pathogens, they either have to die off naturally by having no host to attach onto for a long period of time (which is what crop rotation does) or you need to somehow solarize the soil so it gets so hot it kills off everything. Adding compost isn't going to do anything of significance to get off the pathogens. There have been a lot of myths perpetuated by the internet on what compost can do, and most of it is bunk. There's nothing particularly magical about it. If it were that simple, farmers wouldn't have to go through the stress and trouble of rotating crops, but there simply isn't a way around it.
There is no humidity in Arizona where I live. Right now it’s 6% humidity and sometimes will get down to 3 to 5% and if her lucky in August we might get 25 to 30% during monsoon but don’t hold your breath. I live in a very dry area of Arizona. There is no place that’s not air-conditioned and I definitely don’t want the garage Because it will be may be 120° to 130° and no humidity so I guess the potatoes aren’t gonna last too long. However, I have freeze dried some that I purchased to make sure that I didn’t lose him and then when we needed them they would be there. I had a few that I have in my pantry but then areas also air condition because we don’t want all the food being destroyed like a garage because of our heat no-win situation here.
i've been pondering if i can get a frig for the garage here in nc and turn it way down to the right temp [i think he said 60-65 degrees] and use it for a cold cellar year round.
Thinking long term....let's say I grow broccoli in the soil as you suggest. What could I do with the soil after the broccoli is done? Could I go back to potatoes? Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!
Wondering the same thing. Eventually reusing soil for potatoes would be great.
Yes. Rotating brassicas and nightshades is a common and excellent plan. Lots of folks also rotate legumes and nightshades. For example, when your first planting of string beans are done, plant your potatoes for fall. Leave the string bean roots in there to decompose and the nitrogen release can feed your potatoes.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you so much! This will help tremendously. Perpetual dirt for the win
!
I have a question. I am located in zone 6b in Missouri. I planted my potatoes early April. They still have not died off yet. They are still quite lush and green. They haven't even flowered. I don't think they are ready to harvest. What do I do?
I live near KC. I only had one of 9 plants actually flower. I just harvested today, as my plants were maybe 60-70% yellow / wilty / dead. Still got potatoes out of them all (though I was disappointed with the quantity and size, but I'm thinking my soil in my raised bed may hold water a bit too well).
@@DR4296Thanks for your reply. I have a feeling i'm going to get disappointed as well. My plants are still lush and green. I'm gonna wait till they start dying off. I'm hoping it's going to be soon. I hope you have better luck next year.
What about the refrigerator drawer veggie crisper??
Had a little blight on our potatoes. Is it safe to use those as seed potatoes or do we eat or discard them? Trying to be more self-sufficient and would like to save seeds to keep the cycle going.
I planted a clematis about 2 months ago and it doesn't seem to be growing. What do you think is wrong?
Given the cost of potatoes at the average grocer, the only reason (IMO) to grow potatoes at home is to grow a favorite variety that isn't avalable locally, or because the local grocer is more than 1/2 hour travel time (one way) away from home.
There is actually another - very important - reason to grow organic potatoes at home! Due to retail demands/expectations, potatoes are one of the heaviest users of fungal pesticides by commercial growers. As they are very prone to heavy losses if diseases infect them. Obviously, these chemicals become part of the plants DNA and as consumers we ingest whatever chemicals have been used in growing them! For the health of you and your family it is FAR better to grow your own - and it is SO EASY to grow them in bags! 😊🍀😊
I do see your point about cost. Keith has explained a very good reason to grow our own. Other reasons: it's interesting and fun. And they taste good. And the grandchildren were fascinated to dig potatoes and see how they grow 😊❤
@@emmelia-6068 🙂🙏
I live in Texas, can I leave potatoes in my attic above my garage where it’s dark and humid? My garage gets a bunch of sun?
Poor Dale. My dog is a trained hunting dog so when she hears the fire works she looks for the duck...where is it???😊