Dear Idiot Troll, your words not mine
Could not help that!!
Anyway, the washing for your few potatoes is not a big deal, but with larger amounts I have over and over again found it not to be a good idea. Avoid washing potatoes that go the ground.. It seems that you miss something that protects the potato.
Potatoes grown last year will sprout on their own. Potatoes start with apical dominance, ie. the eyes farthest from the stem end usually start first. When the potato is cut, the rather dormant eyes come to life and start sprouting and hopefully they are in the ground at that time.
The three varieties that you are growing are not noted for setting their own berries. You may have to actually assist in the pollination process, provided all the parameters are met: Temps not below 55 or over 88 F. No drying wind. Provided the fertilizer balance is more of a 1:2:1 ration to induce more blooming. The amt. of sunlight, too little or too much rain/water. If there is no pollen shed, there will be no berry set. But then again, who checks for pollen set. But actually a cross of the blue and red would be great and I even would be interested in that.
The thing about straw on potatoes. I would like to think that you could at least cover the cut tubers with some soil mix before the straw. The roots need to grow in something besides straw. The shoot coming up with be where the tubers emerge from the stolons and will easily enlarge in the straw. I find that one can see surface blemishes on potatoes grown in straw, so beware!
Tom
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