Growingpains
On The Way Up
Joined: 13 Aug 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:31 pm Post subject: Potatoes Finally |
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Sjoerd, I asked last year about planting potatoes and you gave me advice. I am happy to tell you that finally I know how to grow potatoes! From a row, oh about 4 foot, we harvested over a peck of gorgeous red potatoes. I am one happy gardener and plan to have at least 4 rows next spring. Nothing tastes better than a potato that one has grown themself.
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Netty
Chaotic Gardener
 Regular Plantstew Contributor (over 1000 edits)
Joined: 04 Nov 2006
Location: Southern Ontario zone 5a (Map)
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| Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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Way to go!! I agree...the best veggies are the ones you grow yourself 
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Sjoerd
Enlightened One
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Location: West - Friesland (Map)
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| Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 11:10 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, Growingpains--it sounds like you did really well. You know, I liken digging up spuds to panning for gold or how I felt when I opened presents as a child. It is such a special feeling.
You must be tickled-pink with those results. I can feel a bit of pride as well. Thank you for letting me hear how it went for you this season. :)That was a very nice thing to do.
The only thing that comes close to harvesting one's own spuds, is eating one's own spuds. Know what I mean? 
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Growingpains
On The Way Up
Joined: 13 Aug 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 12:15 am Post subject: Potatoes Finally |
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I actually had helped my daughter and gr.daughter dig their potatoes and we had such fun. Then we dug our own and people would have thought we were a couple of nutcases as we ooohed and ahhhhed over each new potato we dug up.
My brothers and sisters think I am in my second childhood the way I carry on over digging potatoes.
I remembered all year how you advised me to plant and I decided if I didn't get potatoes this year, I would quit and use the space for something else. Hurrah!! I can try again and enjoy good potatoes.
Thank you for advice.
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Bluewolf
On The Way Up
Joined: 07 Sep 2009
Location: NE Indiana (zone 5a/b) (Map)
Posts: 159
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 9:50 am Post subject: |
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YIPPEE!!
Congratulations!!
Nothin like eating home grown spuds!! 
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Frank
Happy Gardening
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Location: Malmö, Sweden
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 11:55 am Post subject: |
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Congrats GP, nice to hear of your potato success. Potatoes all round!
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pharmerphil
Just Arrived
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: Southern Minnesota
Posts: 39
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| Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 11:00 am Post subject: |
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Man did we get potatoes this year, maybe the cooler than normal summer?
These were taken a week ago, after all were dug, we had 489 pounds of potatoes!
Yesterdays potato harvest, 1/4 of the total harvest
The bowl of potatoes is from ONE plant, 7 1/4 pounds
The other 1/4 of total harvest (the other half (approximately 225 pounds) is in the pantry already.
One of the large ones..1 1/2 pounds:
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GrowitEatit
Just Arrived
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Location: California
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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Pharmer Phil, those are beautiful potatoes that you got there.
Congratulations to GrowingPains too for learning and growing potatoes.
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bunkie
Showing Great Promise
Joined: 07 Aug 2008
Location: eastern washington
Posts: 440
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| Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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good for you growingpains! sjoerd always has such great advice for growing things!
excellent harvest pharmerphil! we are just getting serious about digging ours up now due to the cold temps coming on. so far i dug up a couple of buckets of all purple potatoes and a few German Butterballs. i was making fish chowder last night and could only find the purple ones...so we had purple fish chowder last night...mighty tasty, but the color...ewww! 
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weeds n seeds
On The Way Up
Joined: 26 Nov 2007
Location: Casper, Wyoming
Posts: 71
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| Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 6:59 pm Post subject: |
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And I thought I had LUCK with 'taters..WOW! Had never tried spuds before, purchased a pound of organic "Purple Viking" seed potatoes, planted them in two raised beds and went to keeping my fingers crossed (my eyes already were from trying to learn HOW to raise potatoes). I'd taken out extra soil from beds, set it aside for future hilling when needed, and when time came mixed in a lot of crushed dried leaves to "lighten" the soil a bit. Plants about floored me with their top growth: found almost 18 pounds of big, beautiful, rock-solid purple-skinned, very white-meated spuds under the spent tops when I dug them in mid-September: you could hear "whoopin' and a-hollerin'" a block away so totally know the feeling of ELATION when digging potatoes! I, very honestly, didn't know what to expect with this new gardening venture, now can't wait to do it again!
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daisybeans
Highly Skillful
Joined: 28 Mar 2009
Location: annapolis md
Posts: 1727
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| Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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This is one of the most exciting posts! I can just feel everyone's excitement. It makes me want to try potatoes next year too. I'll look up Sjoerd's old post on taters. Congratulations to everyone!!
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"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
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kate
On The Way Up
Joined: 08 Oct 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 100
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| Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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I have to agree as an ex allottment holder for several years.
You can't beat going on to the land and picking while the dew is still there.
We used to like the redskin potatoe for keeping.They made good mash and great chips so very versatile.
Congrats to both gardeners on their success.
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kuntrygal
Texas Rose
Joined: 02 Sep 2007
Location: Texas ~ Zone 8
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| Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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Congrats GP on your success. Sjoerd is a good teacher.
And PP...WOW, look at all those potatoes!
Pass the taters, please!! 
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glendann
Official Garden Angel
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| Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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I'm glad I'm not the only one that goes by Sjoerd's methods.He has so many great methods.growingpain I'm so glad things went great for you and your tators.
Pharmerphil you did great but I bet this wasn't your first rodeo (I mean tater growing)
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Growingpains
On The Way Up
Joined: 13 Aug 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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Congratulations PharmerPhil. Your harvest makes mine look ? well, like piddling? How much land do you till for this crop?
One thing for sure, your family won't go hungry this winter.
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