Potato

[dennysfishroom]

This is the first time I've tried to grow potatoes in the garden. Anybody know when you're supposed to harvest them? The plants are just now starting to dry up. I think I read somewhere that sweet potatoes are supposed to be be left on the ground for a period of several days. How about regular potatoes? Denny

[Jackielee]

Regular potatoes you can take the new potatoes just after they bloom and the grown potatoes when the plants die. Enjoy.

[dennysfishroom]

Anybody know what are good "companion" crops for potatoes, or what not to plant with them? I'll need to start planning for next year. Denny

[slimbolen99]

Denny - I've used this guide with some success;

http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

POTATO: Companions for potatoes are bush bean, members of the cabbage family, carrot, celery, corn, dead nettle, flax, horseradish, marigold, peas, petunia, onion and Tagetes marigold. Protect them from scab by putting comfrey leaves in with your potato sets at planting time. Horseradish, planted at the corners of the potato patch, provides general protection. Alyssum makes a perfect living mulch for them. Don't plant these around potatoes: asparagus, cucumber, kohlrabi, pumpkin, rutabaga, squash family, sunflower, turnip and fennel. Keep potatoes and tomatoes apart as they both can get early and late blight contaminating each other.

[dennysfishroom]

Not sure if my potato harvest was normal or sort of puny. I think I ended up with about 3/4 of a bucket. Nothing with any great size, and a lot of "new" potatoes. Probably not really awful for my first time. Of course, we haven't tried to eat any yet. Enough success that I'll try it again next year. Denny

[slimbolen99]

It never got hot and dry enough here for the potatoes to really put on much girth. I had lots of golf ball and a little bit bigger, and they tasted good; but not the big honkers like I'm used to.