Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living Growing red potatoes

Store bought eating potatoes that sprouted, don't know the kind. Anyway back in Feb. I had some sprouting when I was making a stew, so I cut the sprouts off pretty thick. Way too wet to plant right then, so I got some potting soil and put them in a red solo plastic cup. Left in my camper where I kept heat at night to keep things from freezing. I just a short time they were up and growing, still to wet in the garden. When the freeze time was over I set them out in the yard on a table, until today. Garden finally got dry, so I fixed a place and set them out. Lots of them had small potatoes just under the top, some as big as a half dollar, but most the size of a quarter. Set them out with just the green tops out of the ground. Plan to pull more dirt to them as they grow. Anybody here ever done such a thing? Way too late to plant potatoes the conventional way, but I thought what the heck. lets see what happens. Thinking about putting straw or maybe grass clippings along the row to keep the heat down. Any ideas or advice welcome. miles

I have heard of people planting them in a tire, add tires and mulch as they grow.

I don't have that many old tires. I think I have about 30 plants set out. About 2 feet apart. I have plenty of room, just not sure what to expect this late in the year. Been in the high 90's the last few days, but should cool off some next week. miles

We plant potatoes here in southeast texas on Valentine’s day

I got some in the ground too. lost a few that fell out the bag and sprouted . had good luck last year with some

Red Pontiac’s are my favorite potato. I have two 40’ rows I planted on Tuesday. My ground seems suited for them.



I have no advice to offer but keep us updated on how yours turn out OP. I’d be interested in the end product.

Sometime between the end of Feb. and middle of March is ideal here. My Dad used to plant potatoes for fall where the sweet corn was grown. Planted around the middle of July. He would run a middle buster down the corn rows and put small potatoes from the spring crop in the furrow, and then cover them with a turning plow, mule drawn. Sometime around the end of August, not exactly sure, he would run a harrow over them and knock some of the dirt off of the top. They did not make as good as spring potatoes, but were real good.

My early planted potatoes did not come up good because of the cold and wet ground we had. I planted them back in March, and have replanted several times, until I've got a fairly decent stand. I've had good luck just putting them on the ground and covering with some old hay or straw. They usually don't yield as well, but then they don't require much attention either.