# Too late for potatoes?



## DEVILDOG (Dec 20, 2010)

Noticed seed potatoes on clearance at Menard's today, is it too late to plant potatoes this growing season? If so would seed potatoes last until next year to plant? Than you for any information.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

DEVILDOG said:


> Noticed seed potatoes on clearance at Menard's today, is it too late to plant potatoes this growing season? If so would seed potatoes last until next year to plant? Than you for any information.


If you could hold them right at 33ÂºF, might be able to hold them that long. Otherwise, you could still plant them now. Production would be less than optimal if growth is during the hottest time of the year. Plus side would be that whatever you get would store well into next spring. 

Martin


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

Odds aren't good they'll last unless you do some special stuff that smarter peeps will tell you how to do; I can't. Well, I could but couldn't guarantee the results so I won't. 

Too late for this year? Probably but how much money are we talking? If it won't put a crimp in your budget, go for it. Last winter here was mild and might repeat so you might get a decent crop. If not, you might only get some really tiny spuds. Hey, guess what? You can save those and use them to plant next year at the right time! Buy now or buy later...


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

I got a nifty little "Clyde's Garden Planner" from Baker Creek a few years ago that shows best times to plant certain crops. For a fall crop of potatoes, if your average first frost date is Oct. 11 (near ours in zone 5B), you can plant potatoes as late as July 5.

Our local TSC store had 5# of Kennebec potatoes for 25Â¢. Guess what I'm going to do with them along with some smaller than hen's egg sized potatoes from the spring crop?


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

MOgal said:


> Our local TSC store had 5# of Kennebec potatoes for 25Â¢. Guess what I'm going to do with them along with some smaller than hen's egg sized potatoes from the spring crop?


When planting those from this year's crop, plant them in an area which will not be tilled in the spring. That's when they will come up, not this year.

Martin


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## bajiay (Apr 8, 2008)

I just planted mine today! I've never done them in containers before. I hope they grow!
Good luck!


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

Hmm. Good enough, Martin. I'll hold onto those small potatoes until next spring and just plant the Kennebecs I got on sale. Thanks.

Can I hold them at refrigerator temps until then if I can arrange enough humidity? We are trying to come up with a clamp or old freezer to use as a root cellar this year.


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## bluemule31 (Nov 30, 2011)

I knew a man who put the smaller spuds back into the ground each year at diggin' time for the next year's crop--jut stoss them back in the ground.....that's what he said anyways. One thing that I've learned, and I mean this in a congenial way, is that some gardeners would also make good fishermen.......like my uncle who claimed to have "gobs of ripe tomatoes" the first of May from seedlings he started indoors and then planted outside.......as a matter
of fact he is a fishermen too!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

MOgal said:


> Hmm. Good enough, Martin. I'll hold onto those small potatoes until next spring and just plant the Kennebecs I got on sale. Thanks.
> 
> Can I hold them at refrigerator temps until then if I can arrange enough humidity? We are trying to come up with a clamp or old freezer to use as a root cellar this year.


Go with your clamp idea or something similar for storage. Modern conveniences such as an old freezer are worthy substitutes while even a large Rubbermaid container will do. You want to keep them cold but never freeze. They can be packed in sawdust, dry sand, straw, shredded paper, anything which will keep them dry and frost-free. 

Also, eat the smallest ones first as new boilers and work up to about hen's egg size and stop there. Then start with your biggest and work down from there. Stop eating when you're at just enough to plant back. You'll have avoided having small ones which may have shriveled down to uselessness have just the perfect size for planting back. 

Watch for other threads to show up about gardeners in zones 6 to 8 leaving their potatoes in the ground. As long as it doesn't freeze, no need to dig them unless water is a problem. Potatoes are only dug when needed. None will ever start growing again until the following spring. Can't do that here but anyone in a clamp zone can do it. 

Martin


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

I was reading about how late you can plant them there..being that I just planted some less than a month ago, they look better than the ones I planted in the early spring! No kidding but we have had some cool temps, days in the 50's and 60's all June! Heading into July, today we had 56 degrees...so much for the warm weather crops... That and some torrential rains but do you know what looks great? My potatoes do and so does the lettuce plus the berries, herbs and teas. So I read you can plant your potatoes from early Spring all the way into July on one site, as they take 90 days for any variety with your weather... This said, how is the weather there? What part of Indiana are you in? They do have differing recommendations for central, Southern, Northern, etc.

http://www.egardengate.com/gardentips/Potatoes.pdf

Then another site said mid June

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ho-62w.pdf

I think you need to gauge your decision with the weather..... For instance, my pole beans, normally planted in May or June, could not be planted til now. I tried to get them in counting on June...no dice. I had to start them a second time but in my home as the ones in the garden drowned and it was just too cold. Despite recommendations otherwise, I had to plant seedlings today, over 50 pole bean plants and 15 or so cucumbers, in order to try to get pole beans and cucumbers in, the preferred method is direct seeding but not here (they are sure fragile to plant). My sister gets amazing beans every year by planting her seedlings instead of direct seeding these as our weather can not be counted on. Our weather has greatly affected when and what I can plant and so may yours... Good luck and happy gardening!


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## buffalocreek (Oct 19, 2007)

I planted spuds in late July a few years ago (zone 4). Had a good harvest before frost and bonus of no potato bugs that late in the season.


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## DEVILDOG (Dec 20, 2010)

romysbaskets. The weather here has been varied anywhere from low 90's to high 90's (LOL). The weather i am used to growing in sounds like yours. I am orginally from coastal northern california. Am not used to trying to grow is this heat and humidity. Also with the loss of one income source I am trying to grow as much as i can to offset grocery costs. Am very limited on space due to living in a Manufactured home community.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

On the old forum, and perhaps early on this one, I detailed how to hold seed potatoes for a second planting. The system was good and I used it for a number of years. Only problem was that it seemed like only 2 of 5 years produced a harvest worth all of the efforts to grow them. After not doing it for almost 10 years, tried it last year with return barely what was planted. That system is to store seed potatoes in dry sand. Even though they will sprout, they will not develop beyond that since there is zero moisture. After first crop of potatoes are harvested, the reserve pieces are removed from the sand and planted. Growth is rapid but production is good only if it is cool and wet. If hot and dry, virtually nothing.

Martin


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

DEVILDOG said:


> romysbaskets. The weather here has been varied anywhere from low 90's to high 90's (LOL). The weather i am used to growing in sounds like yours. I am orginally from coastal northern california. Am not used to trying to grow is this heat and humidity. Also with the loss of one income source I am trying to grow as much as i can to offset grocery costs. Am very limited on space due to living in a Manufactured home community.[/QUOTE
> 
> 
> Gee sounds like I need some of your heat and you need some of this cool weather. WE thought it was a heat wave at 65 today with low humidity. Those pole bean seedlings look just great and are standing tall, I was worried about them last night. It keeps getting too cool to have them out there but in an upraised bed I can bonus with a higher soil temp. This helps I guess because they sure looked good today. I was down at the beach picking up long sticks to build my supports. My gardens are very beachy looking. I use driftwood all over the place. I guess we will have to make do on both counts cool for me and hot for you...I decided to just plant more spudders I found but this will be it. I know I can because of the weather.
> ...


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