Red POtatoes questions

[butterfly]

I thought I planted 10lbs of seed until I found the bag. I burn all paper products in the wood stove but didn't burn the bag yet.

2 Questions

Is 80 potatoes considered a decent haul from 5 lbs of seed?

Would I have gotten a better haul from white potatoes?

I found 9 good size ones rotted. Guess it was a good job I dug them today. It has been so wet this year.

If I had left them any longer in the ground I think I would have lost them

Don't think I will plant red again.

THere were a lot of little ones still on the roots and stems not growing and too small to boil

[Durgan]

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?DLIZU Summary: Potato Growing experience.
Read this post and you will know more than most people about growing potatoes.

Potatoes are not planted by weight. One potato with a few eyes produces one plant. One plant should produce between 5 and 10 pounds of potatoes. Size of the tubers varies, dependent upon many factors, most of which are not under your control.

Potatoes when growing cannot be too wet,or the tubers rot, as yours did.

[butterfly]

I guess I did a terrible job. Doesn't help when it rained for 4 straight weeks in a row either so hilling I couldn't do properly

I didn't think I got a good yeild

Oh well a learning lesson.

I may not bother another year. I bought a 5lb bag of NEW NB taters 2 weeks ago and they were $6.99 and very soggy and soft.

I heard on the news PEI lost most of their spuds this year due to, too much rain

Acreas and acres still layin in fields of water and not possible to harvest. What a shame

[Durgan]

I got about 150 lbs stored from about 70 plants. Chieftain, Kennebec, Superior and Russian Blue.

[butterfly]

Mine weren't wet when they were planted.

The rain came afterwards and the soil stayed wet

[Sharon Bryson]

Don't think I will plant red again.

Hi BF:
I don't think the yield is so much variety dependent as it is on growing conditions.
Some varieties do seem to yield bigger individual potatoes than others.
Kennebec, Keswick & Sebago (all whites)will do this, but we have had some big ones from Norland( a red). I actually prefer a medium size. Sometimes the conditions that lead to really large potatoes will also lead to holes in the centre....it has a name which I can't recall.
Our potatoes this year have been quite productive, and since we have sandy soil, the extra moisture wasn't to much of a concern.
We and some of our gardener friends have noticed some scab which is uncommon here.
We tried our first Pink Fir Apple the other day....they were excellent, as usual.

[butterfly]

Thanks Sharon

Disappointed I am, so not sure if I will bother next year at all.

Seems like a lot of work for so little.

[bluewillow]

Don't give up your potato planting for '09 BF. You had a miserable wet Summer but next year will be a great growing season.


bw

[butterfly]

I let them air dry ans they better be there and not discover Raccoons ate them

Going out now to bring them in. It's is going to rain but feels like snow.

[B_BQ]

Sharon:
We too tried our first Pink Fir Apple potatoes. They were excellent. We had a good haul this year. I've still got two rows to pick, but will leave them for another couple of days. Fair weather is in the forecast for us!
~BBQ