Tribe.net. Local Connections Freyamorganna http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#fb18787b-a2dc-44f6-89ea-5ca02a263222 2009-07-13T19:24:05Z 2009-07-13T19:24:05Z

That's so ironic. Plants always take on a life of their own with or without us. -Freya

Freyamorganna 2009-07-13T19:24:05Z Nancy http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#c1700e6c-9e48-4477-a7b2-73631e787b7d 2009-07-13T19:14:12Z 2009-07-13T19:14:12Z

When I started my first garden bed I threw in kitchen waste that included potatoes. They didn't break down but grew. They also came up the next year, though I'd moved the garden bed and turned that area into a compost bin. I took some potatoes out to feed to my chickens and forgot the bag. 2 years later the potatoes are still comming up in my dirt-floor shed area! They grow there in the winter and I pull off the tops to feed to my chickens. I don't eat potatoes. lol I live in western Washington State zone 8a. Please note, I've never planted potatoes. They just come up wherever I throw them. Just thought you would like to know, if you move them under a roofed area in the winter, where they still get some sun, you may be able to keep growing them year round. (I have also grown strawberries in winter on a covered porch.) One of those water heater pans might be good to set under your barrel so water doesn't seap. Nan, not a potatoe hater, just can't eat them.

Nancy 2009-07-13T19:14:12Z Freyamorganna http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#39c088c9-2796-4ef2-a121-446c0c8ffafa 2009-07-06T22:13:04Z 2009-07-06T22:13:04Z

I wasn't planning on growing them, but they sprouted in the fridge and I thought what the hell. -Freya

Freyamorganna 2009-07-06T22:13:04Z Sara http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#556f5584-2586-48f0-8d92-529be184dcf9 2009-07-06T17:17:17Z 2009-07-06T17:17:17Z

Opps I forgot the thanks! Thanks for the advice. It's the first time I'm growing potatoes and I really don't know what to expect.

Sara 2009-07-06T17:17:17Z Sara http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#95cf44fb-810c-45c4-bde6-4b3edfa8e0ea 2009-07-06T17:16:14Z 2009-07-06T17:16:14Z

Thanks for the advice. I'll try the organic potatoes from Trader Joe's next time. They are certainly cheaper than buying seed and more available.

Sara 2009-07-06T17:16:14Z Sara http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#5c2a0c5c-50ee-437d-83d7-a96c37684ea9 2009-07-06T17:14:29Z 2009-07-06T17:14:29Z

I miss-posted. I meant seed potatoes. I'm still watering them as much as I ever was. Should I cut back now? I think you are right about the size thing. I didn't get but one flower on all of my plants but the book said I could start digging for new potatoes. For the longest time it would take about a week to get any more small potatoes. Now I'm getting fairly large sized ones every week.

Sara 2009-07-06T17:14:29Z Sara http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#dd31821b-af37-47b9-8ba0-6b7fcbfcc147 2009-07-06T17:09:59Z 2009-07-06T17:09:59Z

I planted them in March the day after they arrived in the mail. I had my neighbor drill lots of holes in the bottom of the cans and then added a 3 inch layer of gravel before filling the cans 1/3 full of organic potting soil, then I placed the seed potatoes about 4 inches apart and 4 inches from the sides of the cans, and then I added 4 more inches of potting soil. Thanks for the advice.

Sara 2009-07-06T17:09:59Z Freyamorganna http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#4b35635c-9f55-4cc5-a0db-d0b35df58a69 2009-07-06T16:24:13Z 2009-07-06T16:24:13Z

My red potatoes have died back, but the purple ones are still going strong. The red ones we dug up so far were the best potatoes I've ever had. I used sprouted organic potatoes from Trader Joe's and they have grown great and have given us 15 large and about 10 small potatoes per plant. -Freya

Freyamorganna 2009-07-06T16:24:13Z wil http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#92282495-739b-4ae9-8288-f5fa65e57384 2009-07-06T15:08:53Z 2009-07-06T15:08:53Z

oh, let them die back completely before harvest if you can. They put on the most size right at the end taking nutrients from dying top of the plant i think.

wil 2009-07-06T15:08:53Z wil http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#f645baa2-9df5-480e-a06e-4e2892d0d4ab 2009-07-06T15:07:26Z 2009-07-06T15:07:26Z

I'd say they are finishing up and dying probably. You actually use seed instead of cutting up seed potatoes? Don't worry about the potatoes or the soil. It's ok. They always get late blight, just if they get in a good growing season first. It is worse in a cool wet environment, which it has been here so far this spring. very bad year for tomatoes and potatoes on east coast. very.

wil 2009-07-06T15:07:26Z ~Ms. Purity~ http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#336f18f8-9f42-4315-ba3b-35d5e02f6225 2009-07-06T14:58:00Z 2009-07-06T14:58:00Z

Did you plant them last winter when you started your garden? We planted ours last February and they are pretty much done now. Most of the tops are dead and we've been harvesting them pretty regularly. I'm in the East Bay. It's just a cycle they go through. We plan on replanting next month for a fall crop. Also, do your cans have holes drilled in the bottom for drainage?

~Ms. Purity~ 2009-07-06T14:58:00Z Sara http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/3798f4b8-2426-466f-95a3-82507eecae6e#93f062f5-6f18-4b7c-a251-5959fc50f203 2009-07-04T23:10:34Z 2009-07-04T23:10:34Z

Last winter, when the economy showed signs of taking a steep dive, I decided to put in a vegetable garden for the first time. I live in a 4-plex with very limited space so most of my vegetables are in containers. I ordered some potato seeds and started them in three 30-gallon garbage cans back in early March. The potatoes are still growing now and some of the leaves have brown spots like the pictures I have seen on the internet for late-blight. The stems don't have any legions but they do have tiny, pin-prick, brown spots on them. All the potatoes I have harvested have been fine. None have had brown, corky centers and have been delicious. I am hoping to re-use the organic potting soil again because it was quite expensive. The book I bought "Bountiful Container" says I can as long as the previous harvest wasn't diseased. Can anyone tell me if my potatoes are diseased or if it is just that the plants are old and dying. I live in the South Bay. Thanks so much!

Sara 2009-07-04T23:10:34Z