Spuds for 2009 have been planted

[svalli]

I planted all my spuds on Sunday and now I am just hoping for better summer than last year. In-laws had planted their potatoes on our field, so I planted my veggies and potatoes to theirs, because they have water source closer. My DH made mounds with the potato planting machine and >I planted the tubers to the hills by hand, because I had nine different varieties and wanted to know where each kind are. I have four 20 meter rows and since I planted and there must be at least 300 spuds. After I had planted all, I realized that in the end of the season I have to dig them up by hand too. Luckily some are such that we will eat them as fresh new potatoes and start using them as soon as the tubers are at least 1" diameter.

The varieties are Hankkijan Timo, Lapin Puikula (fingerling from Lapland), Peruvian Purple, Rosamunda and five different varieties grown last season from Tom Wagner's true potato seeds.

This spring they had spread composted cow manure from my sister in-law's farm to the field and I did also add commercial organic potato and root vegetable fertilizer directly to the potato rows. I also dusted the spuds with MycoGrow before planting. Some of the Peruvian Purples were started a month ago in milk cartons, so they have already leaves on them and I covered them with a row cover to protect in case of late frost and also to speed up the growth. Last season was so disappointing that this year I have tried to do everything to guarantee better harvest.

In town I have four Potato Dance plants (Thanks to Ted!) and two unknown from Tom's TPS growing in containers. It will be interesting to see, if all of the Potato Dance plants will produce similar tubers.

[phicks48]

ive all ready dug mine up last month. hope yours do well paul h

[svalli]

We came just back from the country. I planted one more row of potatoes just because a colleague gave me bag of sprouted fingerlings potatoes, they had purchased in Lapland where his wife is from. Her relatives had claimed that these fingerlings called Lapin Puikula will not grow well south, but I think that we are not that much south. My grandpa used to grow fingerlings, which looked like these.

I am glad I had covered some of my potato rows with a row cover, since there had been really cold nights week ago. Sunday night the temperature at an official weather station in a low lying area near my in-laws had dropped to -8.5°C (16.5°F); my in-laws had measured low of -2.8°C (27°F). There was just a bit frost damage on the potatoes, which had already leaves growing. My beans had suffered more, even they were also covered.

[phicks48]

its been in the 90s here all week paul

[svalli]

I do not like really hot weather, 90s are a bit too much for me, but the next week here looks bad to the other direction. Forecast is from 40s to low 60s, Thursday night the temps may dip again, but hopefully not below freezing. Last day of May we had temps at 80s, which was uncommon for that time and week later we got record cold.
It may be best to keep the potatoes covered as long as possible.

[phicks48]

Do you plant early seson types? and when do you dig theam there? Paul

[Barbee]

Much luck to you Svalli. Don't forget to take some pics!

[svalli]

Thanks Barbee, luck is really needed when gardening almost at the Arctic Circle!

I do not know, if all of the potatoes we can grow here are considered early types or maybe mid season. Hankkijan Timo is really early and is grown mainly for eating fresh, since it does not store well and I will start digging them up when needed. The other ones are for storage so I will keep them in ground as late as possible, which may be mid September.

Here is first photo of this season's TPS potato project. In the big container I have four Potato Dance plants from the seeds sent by Ted. One of them germinated two months after the others and I stuck it in the middle, so it is not visible in the picture. Leaf shape of all of the plants is similar, but one has purplish color in the middle, while others are solid green. Two other potato plants in containers are from seeds sent by Tom Wagner.

[phicks48]

nice looking plants paul

[phicks48]

Are you poatoes up yet? Paul

[svalli]

I do not kow what the situation is right now, but two weeks ago it looked like this.


Second row from left has the ones I started in milk cartons, but some direct to ground planted were up also.

Our vacation just started, but it has been quite cool, so we stayed home and did some serious gardening in the city; we cut down a 45' spruce and 50' pine from our yard. Later this week we will go to check my remote vegetable plot. I hope they have got finally rain and my in-laws do not have to carry so much water with watering cans. They do not water potatoes, since they were planted deep and should be fine during dry periods.

[phicks48]

nice looking poatoes------- paul

[svalli]

I dug up first potatoes yesterday. Timo is an early varity grown mainly to be eaten fresh. There were already some egg sized spuds.

[phicks48]

those look really good --------Paul

[svalli]

Potato flowers are really pretty. These are on one of the Tom Wagner's TPS varieties. Planted potatoes had red skins.