The gardening questions have been pouring in lately, so I thought I would try out a question/answer series for some of the questions. So, if you have any questions about gardening mishaps or how-to’s, send them my way. I’ll try to answer them the best I can.
Recently a reader asked:
I went to the store and got several types of potatoes to plant, but then I look at the sites and they are being harvested in September, so why do the country farm stores sell them so early in the spring? when should they be planted, I live in Anacortes, WA, , my potatoes are Yukon gold, Russian red fingerlings, russet, white fingerlings and some I didn’t find in the ground until two weeks ago, they all have different sized eyes or sprouts, I don’t know how long to grow the eyes before planting them.
I am still an experimental gardener but love it. last year I experimented with squash, none got big but they were fun to grow. I had a weird success with corn, the husks turned a beautiful dark red, then pink, the corn was small but each stalk got one ear.
First, the stores are selling the seed potatoes because it is actually time here in Washington to start thinking about planting them. Ideally, you would put them in the ground 2-3 weeks before the last frost {but if for some reason it did frost after they had sprouted, they would most likely just die back and re-sprout}.
Having different sized eyes on different potatoes doesn’t really matter too much. As long as they have “eyes” they are ready to plant. If you decide to cut your larger seed potatoes into smaller bits, cut with a clean knife, making sure each bit has at least two eyes.
Then, allow them to sit in a cool dark place for 24 hours so that they can callous {which helps prevent them from being susceptible to disease once you put them in the ground}. Also, if you aren’t ready to plant quite yet, just store your seed potatoes in the fridge until you are.
Most likely the September harvest date you are seeing on varying websites is confusing you because it isn’t actually when you put the potatoes in the ground that you start the countdown to harvest, it’s when you see the plants emerge from the soil. Harvest dates vary, but I think around these parts, September is pretty accurate. You will know it’s time to harvest when the plants die back and start to yellow.
Hopefully, that answers your question. If you have any more questions about how to grow potatoes, check out my detailed Potato Grow Guide.
~Mavis
Want to get the full low-down on growing potatoes? Check out The Complete Book of Potatoes: What Every Grower and Gardener Needs to Know
Gardenpat says
So cool! I just checked our Columbus Ohio public library (voted the best in the US again this year!) and found that I could borrow a hard copy or electronic copy OR download a permanent digital copy into my I-pad kindle (free app from amazon) for FREE!!!! Oh, how I love our library! Don’t have to spend $$ or wait for book to arrive or even leave my house and POOF!! It’s there instantly!!!
PattyB says
Just ordered the book….. I really don’t like instructional books on my Kindle, makes it hard to find pages, even with bookmarking them.
Mavis Butterfield says
I am a highlighting nerd myself so I totally understand. 🙂
Jeb says
Timely article, as I was planning on buying potatoes this weekend to try and grow on my balcony. This will be my first foray into growing vegetables, so I’m just experimenting around and seeing what I can grow in various containers. I hope potatoes work out on the balcony! I bought a few large Rubbermaid boxes to use as containers and was thinking of planting four or five potato plants into one container and seeing how it goes. I wonder if that is too crowded. I’m glad to see that you have more articles about potato growing, so I’ll spend some time reading through them. Thanks for the info!
Brad Walden says
I started following your site because my Mom’s name is Mavis and there is not many of those around. I have become a great fan and I look forward to the arrival of your post everyday. I need the name of the variety of Kale that you grow that makes the Kale Tree. My wife Kathy is doing a great job with the Kale in our little garden, but I want a Kale Tree. Thanks for all the great information. Have a great weekend.
Mavis Butterfield says
Ahh the kale tree. 🙂 Just remember to pick the leaves from the bottom and the kale will grow upward into a tree. Dwarf Blue Kale –> https://botanicalinterests.com/products/view/3136/Kale-Dwarf-Blue-Curled-Organic-HEIRLOOM-Seeds/srch:kale
Carol says
Just wondering which method worked well for you last year? I might have missed the results of your experimenting, but I seem to remember that you were trying different potato towers/methods for growing them.
Mavis Butterfield says
Growing them in the ground seems to work best. The towers are a cool idea but I just have not gotten the results I had hoped for.
Carol says
Thanks for the advice. In the ground they will go!