# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Gardening >  Potato Question

## Sourdough

What is the reason that you keep covering the plant (Stem and leaves) with soil as it grows? Does it defer flowering...? Does it make more runners...?

What why keep covering the plant..? And can this be overdone...?What if you never let it flower....?

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## nell67

the more you cover the plant,the bigger the crop,and yes you do need to stop after a bit,and let the plant flower out,but the more stem you have underground increases the potato yeild.I cover mine 3 times,then let them flower out and the stem above ground die off.

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## crashdive123

I've only grown plain ole potatoes once.  Didn't add dirt or anything after they were planted.  I've got about 50 sweet potato plants in the ground right now and have not added anything to cover those since planting.

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## TrappinGal

yep, what she said.  :Big Grin: 

round here insted of doing it in stages we go what ya call "hillin em in" that

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## TrappinGal

crash, you will have a higher yield if you hill them in. theyre a root crop and will produce potatoes as high as they are covered in dirt.

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## nell67

> yep, what she said. 
> 
> round here insted of doing it in stages we go what ya call "hillin em in" that


 That's what we call it 'round these parts too Trappingal! :Big Grin:

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## TrappinGal

...............        :d

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## crashdive123

Thanks - right now they're about 8 inches long - should be ready to harvest in about a month.  The vines are taking over everything.

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## TrappinGal

they wont run as bad if you hill them up, lol.

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## crashdive123

I'll try it.  The vines are about 8 feet long now....kind of out of room in my small yard.

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## Sourdough

I am experimenting this year....Built hills 10" high 6' long and 3' wide. Lay cut up spud pieces 4" apart, then put 6" of loose topsoil on top and another layer of potato pieces, then 6" of topsoil, and another layer of cut up potato's. And more cover.

It looks like "Boot Hill". I toyed with the idea of headboards, trespasser # 1, trespasser # 2, etc.

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## Sourdough

Do the potatos stop growing when the plant flowers....?

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## TrappinGal

if you want bigger potatoes, remove the flowers, pinch them out so the plant doesnt go to seed. just like when you sucker tomatoes but in this instance you remove the flowers by cutting them off.

  fertilizizing with a fertilizer high in potassium will help produce a bumper crop of big potatoes too.  

you guys dont know me so ill tell you i majored in Ag. Education, just so you dont think im fulla crap.( at least not on this topic) LOL

if you have to many potatoes to remove the flowers by hand or pruners, use a weedeater being careful to get the flowers and not a whole lot of plant. if you cut the plant in excess of removing the flowers you have a danger of killing the plant in this heat..

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## Sourdough

So how do I keep the moose from eating the pea vines, pods, roots......?

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## TrappinGal

we aint got moose here, so other than a bullet, i dont know for sure. lol

i use "Liquid Fence" to repel deer and rabbit here. dont know if itll work for moose. you just spray the plants, but it STINKS!!

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## Rick

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/potato.html

As for the moose, put up a sign that they are poison. If the moose has trouble reading (some claim they are near sighted) then just draw a skull and cross bones. That should keep them out.

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## Ridge Wolf

> http://www.thegardenhelper.com/potato.html
> 
> As for the moose, put up a sign that they are poison. If the moose has trouble reading (some claim they are near sighted) then just draw a skull and cross bones. That should keep them out.


The only moose I have seen in a lot of years is Bullwinkle so don't know much about keepin' moose out of potato patches. However, I know some people that have cyclone fences around their gardens to keep deer out of them. 

I believe that Bullwinkle does read though, as I remember, the last time I saw him he had glasses just for that purpose.

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## wareagle69

just be sure to ask the moose his name first- it might be my norman

so let me get this straight first you build a hill?
oh and most moose are couch potatoes so be careful

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## ryaninmichigan

I have herd of people growing them in stacked tires. I don't know.

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## TrappinGal

ryan youre right, people around here do that too and it does work. as tha plants grow you add another tire, leaving the tops out and pack inside the new tire. the more tires you stack that way, the bigger your potato harvest.

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## LindyLu

I was always told that growing any food in tires was bad big time as they would leach into the food.  If that isn't true, sure would make my raised bed project easier.  Also, I didn't know about the pinching back the flowers.  Great!!!!  Always something to learn.  Thanks.
LindyLu

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## Chris

http://www.gardeningblog.net/2008/06...n-a-trash-can/

^^ is what I'm doing this year.

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## gryffynklm

Chris and all here is another method of potatoes in a container. Its like a compost box with one side left open. as the plant grows another board is placed on the open side and dirt is filled in. here is the link
http://www.stumbleupon.com/toolbar/#...-potatoes%252F

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## trax

dammit people! When I see a thread titled "potato question" I expect to click on it and find a picture of Mr. PotatoHead with his hand up, so I can say "go ahead Potato, ask your question..."

I am _very_ disappointed...

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## Rick

Nice post, Karl. You'll have to excuse the riff raff. Someone left the forum door open again.

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## crashdive123

Just for you Trax.

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## erunkiswldrnssurvival

> What is the reason that you keep covering the plant (Stem and leaves) with soil as it grows? Does it defer flowering...? Does it make more runners...?
> 
> What why keep covering the plant..? And can this be overdone...?What if you never let it flower....?


the leaf sites produce rootlets when covered with soil,the rootlets produce the potato

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## crashdive123

....and if you don't mound them up (like I didn't last year) some of the runners will spread out about 15 feet, taking root where you leas expect it.

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## Rick

I tried using a 5 gallon bucket last year and failed miserably. This is a timely post. I'll have to try something along these lines this year.

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## crashdive123

I liked the tire stacking method that some posted about last year.  My wife however, does not share my idea of what an attractive garden is.

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## gryffynklm

Thats, OK rick I thought I smelled a breeze. Anyone have any opinions on placing the potato box near the compost boxes beside turning over the earth in the wrong box.

I may regret asking about opinions.

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## crashdive123

I like the idea of the potato box.  As far as next to the compost bins.....shouldn't be a problem.

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## Rick

Opinions, huh? I's my opinion if you built a round box then all you'd have to do is roll it over to harvest the spuds then roll it back again to keep it growing.

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## tweelia

We are growin Kennebeck potatoes (good for storage) in 35 gal plastic trash cans. washed and rinsed them, drilled holes in bottom, 6" dirt, potatoe eyes (4 per can) and 3" dirt. As the plants grow, add dirt or mulch leaving tops above dirt line. Add after approx 5" of growth. Keep going till plants die off, roll out the potatoes. (we hope).

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## Smok

I have started my sweet potato's in the house and have just got some vines started . But what do I do with the vines ? Do I cut in to the Sweet Potato were the vine is at , or just take the vine and put it in the ground ? ...Please Help.... I have never raised sweet Potato's before . I am just going off what I remember from  my Grandpa and what he did . Is there a site for me to go to ?

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## crashdive123

> I have started my sweet potato's in the house and have just got some vines started . But what do I do with the vines ? Do I cut in to the Sweet Potato were the vine is at , or just take the vine and put it in the ground ? ...Please Help.... I have never raised sweet Potato's before . I am just going off what I remember from  my Grandpa and what he did . Is there a site for me to go to ?


I did sweet potatoes for the first time last year.  I would recommend that when you put them in the soil, transfer them the same way you would any other seedling that you transfer.  As it grows, mound it up as others have stated.

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## Rick

Try this from U of I. 

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/sweetpotato1.html

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## crashdive123

Looks like my sweet potato problems (I was able to harves about 12 pounds) were rooted in not having enough space for them to grow.  The little (read not nearly big enough) raised bed I used was next a patio.  The vines crossed the patio and had very little area to take root as they grew.

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## trax

> Just for you Trax.
> 
> Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.


Yes! There at the back of the room...Mr PotatoHead? Go ahead with your question...

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## Rick

Why do potatoes only have three fingers and people have four? And who stole my legs?

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## Smok

Thanks Rick .. That helped me get it . I started my sweets in the house and they now have vines all over so what I am going to do is cut the vines and put them in the ground ..The vine roots fast , like a runner would , this will give me clean starts I hope if not I will still have the sweets in the house right

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## Rick

Didn't you plant a bunch of stuff in the river bottoms last year? Do you plan/expect any volunteers to come up this year?

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## jessielavon

They Have To Flower And The Reason To Keep The Hill Built As The Sun Can Burn The Potatoes

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## Smok

Yes but I dug it all , mite get some but I do not count on it

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## nell67

> They Have To Flower And The Reason To Keep The Hill Built As The Sun Can Burn The Potatoes


 The reason we "hill" them up is to increase the yield,eventually just letting the  vine grow and flower out,and yes,gotta make sure the potates themselves are not exposed to sunlight or you get greenspots.

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## Rick

The green spots on potatoes are chlorophyll but it signals the presence of a glycoalkaloid poison called solanine. It's the same stuff as in nightshade. Fortunately, the amount is very small and generally poses no risk to those of us that love those little tubers. Still, it is a crystalline form of alkaloid that can monkey up the cells in your body so I tend to cut them off.

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## Schleprok

I've usually got some old car tires around. I plant my potato, then as it grows, I will put a tire around it. When it clears the tire, fill the tire with soil. Keep stacking and filling. 
Harvest time, just knock off the first tire, getcher new taters in the pot. As you work your way down the stack, bigger and bigger taters.

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## dawg69

> I liked the tire stacking method that some posted about last year. My wife however, does not share my idea of what an attractive garden is.


Crash,

I'm trying this for the first time this year and worried about the unsightlyness of the tires as well.  I am building a lattice "fence" on four sides of the tires.  One side will be a door for access.  I am going to plant cucumbers on the other three sides to trellis up the lattice, saving more garden space.  You might give something like this a try and still keep mama happy.

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## crashdive123

Good idea.  Thanks.

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## littlejohn

I am new to planting taters. Just wondering how far to space them in rows.  Thanks !!

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## mountain mama

> I am new to planting taters. Just wondering how far to space them in rows.  Thanks !!


The potato seeds are planted every 15 in., with the rows spaced 2 1/2 to 3 ft. apart.

LittleJohn, we are a curious bunch, would you mind terribly heading on over to our introductions section and introducing yourself?  Thanks!

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## Rick

My thunder!!!! She stole my thunder!!!!!

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## Chris

I'm planting my potato sets today, trashcans again. Got "All Blue" potato sets. They're the purple potatoes, got some of the same antioxidants in blueberries, but taste like halfway between yukon gold and russet.

http://www.burpee.com/product/code/13040.do

Last year my yield was not very high. I think it is because I didn't add soil quickly enough to the trashcan (I'm using potting mix actually, not soil, to combat disease I dump it to top off raised beds at the end of the season, then get whole new potting soil the next spring for the potatoes). I let the plants get too mature above the soil line before adding more soil and that resulted in no tubers for much of the depth of the can. So if you do this can way or with tires, add soil often.

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## Rick

Blue mashed potatotes? I don't know. That sounds pretty UnAmerican to me.

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## nell67

Rick,just mash some red'ns and some white'ens,and you have the American thing covered.

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## crashdive123

You could always add ketsup and whipped cream for red, white and blue mashed potatoes.

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## mountain mama

Rick, just put them on the plate next to a nice red (rare) steak, and pour some white gravy over the taters....how much more American can it get?

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## crashdive123

OK, now I'm hungry.

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## Alpine_Sapper

> OK, now I'm hungry.


No, not me. I think you pretty much killed my appetite with this comment;




> You could always add ketsup and whipped cream for red, white and blue mashed potatoes.

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## littlejohn

Thanks Mountain mama

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## mountain mama

No problem, littlejohn.  Here's the link to the intro section: http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...splay.php?f=14

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## Chris

You can also grow potatoes in those huge tree-sized containers you get from the nursery when you buy a tree. Same deal as the trashcan method.

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