Moose Tubers discount ordering deadline is Feb 19! I'd better get my order in.
This year I'm planning to grow just two varieties of potatoes: a Russet (Burbank) and a blue (All Blue) potato.
(BTW, Burbank is the famed Russet McDonald's and most fast food places use for fries. The most common variety grown in Idaho. I'm just curious to try it. I grew the newer Rio Grande Russet last year, which was excellent. All-Blue is the most widely grown Blue potato. I should balance these selections with a rare potato variety.)
17 comments:
We grew both those varieties last year. We called the All Blue potatoes "Partial Blues" -- I'm interested to see if yours live up to the name! ;-)
"New" potatoes are probably our most anticipated veggie every year.
Our favourite, a Dutch heirloom, Bintje is great all season and stores well (when we have any left) but it is just delicious when dug about the size of a golf ball. When harvested young and prepared that day the sugars haven't turned starchy yet.
Lene
Hi Kathy,
Do you have good luck with your potatoes? I have seen, in other blogs and articles, where people do not seem to have good luck with potatoes. Last year was my first try at raising potatoes. My Father in Law told me to just stick them in the ground and they'll grow. I watched some videos on YouTube and saw how people "mounded" dirt around the plant as they grew. So, I did the same. But, my potatoe harvest was nothing to write home about. I was wondering if you had any tips on how you go about it. Also, when is the best time to grow potatos? One video on YouTube said potatos don't like fertile soil (or at least don't need it). I thought that was strange. When my potatos grew, I got very healthy plants and they bloomed and lived a long time. That is why I was surprised at the low to moderate harvest. I did start them late ... around May. Maybe I should start them early?
Happy gardening,
Chris
Blue, huh? I've seen those in the catalogues but I've never tasted them. Are they good? Do they taste...blueish? Is that a silly question? lol
They taste like potatoes!
Good luck with the spuds! I am growing russet's too as well as purple viking, alaska sweetheart w/ pink flesh and a purple fleshed fingerling. Should be a colorful year.
Your seeds arrived the other day, thanks very much! They are very fragrant seed, makes me want a Bloody Mary :-) I put a post up about them today.
I always buy some organic potatoes from the grocery store and cut 'em up--I get great yields and it is cheaper than ordering from a company. Last year I grew red. white, and blue varieties!
I'm eager to follow your potato progress. This will be my first year growing spuds. I got the "Potato Blossom Festival" from Wood Prarie Farm so we'll have a little early, mid and late season in a variety of colors: Red Cloud, Onaway, All Blue, Butte, Cranberry Red, Carola. Warmed and sprouted just a bit, they were planted last weekend (Southern Calif.) in "Smart Pots" (grow sacks), surrounded by moats of nasturtiums, marigolds and cilantro to help protect them from the evil beetles.
wow anonymous - that sounds great!!
I have never heard of smart sacks and will look into this.
I LOVE the idea of "moats" of flowers to protect from evil!!!
Also, I'm very supportive of growing grocery store spuds. These have worked well for me in the past. SO much cheaper. But, after the bad late blight last year I'm spooked and will by certified potatoes this year. (Of course the certified ones I bought last year didn't make any difference..)
I grew All Blues last year to great success. The taste & texture was similar to a red bliss type. They kept better then the potatoes from my CSA despite storing them on the kitchen counter. The CSAs were in the cool basement.
I just dug up my turf, folded it over, put the chunks in & covered it up. My yield would have been better if I had mounded over.
I doubled my order this year :-)
This will be my first year growing potatoes as well. I'm going to try using a 4'x4' potato box to grow them in. I ordered Kennebec and Red Pontiac seed potatoes. I am very excited about this project for this year! I look forward to reading more about your potatoes this year, too.
The grow sack idea is very interesting! I never really thought about growing potatoes from the market-bought ones. I might experiment with that this year as well.
Yes, I think I will grow a pink or blue (all the way through) variety this year! Maybe Shetland black!
Let us know how they turned out.
So, no supermarket potatoes this year? Or are these seed potatoes just an addition?
Hailey, No supermarket ones again this year. I'm buying known varieties because of our blight and dampness problems recently. And because I like trying different ones than I can buy.
I just got back from an Ag Conference in Monte Vista, CO where they have the largest fresh packing operation for "Fingerling Potatos."
I traded four sacks of Fingerlings for my water conservation products Hydrosource CLP. (www.hydrosource.com)
I am orginally from Idaho and have worked spuds for many years.
I have to give a major green-thumbs up for these Fingerlings.
Absolutely tasty ... especially fried in real butter.
Fingerlings are available at many health food stores and at Costco and Sam's Club.
I am now a big fan!
Yummy - fried in butter sounds really good....
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