GOT POTATOES!

[Lazy Gardener]

I have found that BN squash turns to rubber when I freeze it. Buttercup and Blue Hubbard freeze just fine.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I am destined to keep trying to grow carrots until I get it right. B/C I LOVE carrots. Could be happy to make my meals out of carrots, green beans, potato, and broccoli! Meat is totally optional to finish out my dinner plate, but I do love my cheese!!!!

 

[Beekissed]

I am destined to keep trying to grow carrots until I get it right. B/C I LOVE carrots. Could be happy to make my meals out of carrots, green beans, potato, and broccoli! Meat is totally optional to finish out my dinner plate, but I do love my cheese!!!!

I keep trying too, as the seeds are cheap and hope springs eternal...but no matter how I try it, raised bed with loose soils and compost or directly in the ground, I'm unable to get a true carrot...lovely tops, no bottoms or stunted, twisted bottoms. This heavy clay soil is just not conducive to tap root kinds of plants.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Bee, I've seen one method that might work for you... though it may be more work than you're willing to invest. The person had soil that was not conducive to growing carrots. They used a spade or shovel, and drove it into the soil down the length of the intended row. Each time the spade was driven in, it was then rocked forward and backward, thus making a deep trench that would look like a V on cross section down the whole length of the row. This trench was then filled with fine potting soil, home blended compost/sand/peat mix, or what ever would be the gardener's choice for a nice soft soil that the carrot could grow in. The seeds were planted on top of this trench. Results: Nice long straight carrots. I've not tried this method. But, I have occasionally had good results by building a raised bed. It doesn't take me that long to build a raised bed. My garden soil is sandy loam, so the texture is ok for carrots, just not deep enough. I still haven't gotten the fertility and spacing right to yield a good crop. Also have issues with mice/voles getting into the bed and nibbling the tops off the carrots.

 

[Beekissed]

LG, I've tried the whole potting soil route in the raised bed full of compost last season and no carrots even made a bottom...still all tops. The turnips planted in the same bed made some lovely tops, small and distorted bottoms.

I'd LOVE to have sandy, loamy soil!!! Having soil envy over here!

I could likely grow them in containers, but I don't eat them often enough to warrant spending a lot of money on bought soils and such. There's a particular mix that's supposed to be optimal for carrots. What I'd like is to raise them for winter harvesting, so they can stay in the soils all winter until I need a couple here and there. I don't particularly like to eat them cooked but love them raw.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

@Beekissed , You can have soil envy all you want. My sandy loamy garden soil came at a very steep price. We did some major clearing (before the LAST horror job) and had the fill brought in. So, we paid a LOT of money for that sandy loamy garden! Most of the native soil here is clay and boulders/rocks/shale. Requires a pick axe to break it up. Every time I work my garden, I thank God that He blessed us with that deep deposit of good soil in the best part of the yard (most sun, good location) so I could have a good garden.

 

[creativetwinszoo]

While potatoes from the grocery store may sprout, chances of them actually producing a decent crop of spuds are poor at best. Reason being: Market potatoes have been treated with an herbicide to keep them from sprouting. So, even if they do sprout, there's enough latent poison to keep them from producing tubers.
Organic potatoes bought at the grocer are NOT SUPPOSED to have been treated with this herbicide. So, you are likely to get a crop, but there is no guarantee that the grocer potatoes is not carrying a disease.

I wonder if this is why my taters didn't flower or fruit booo. We are trying to Container grow them but have had no luck yet recently dumped the bin thinking we might have some an got a whole lotta nada gonna try out again with a sweet potato my mum got from a friend, guess the original spud was planted 3 years prior! here's to hoping to get great luck with the sweet potates

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Are you sprouting the SP for slips to plant? That's the recommended planting method. I planted some purple sweets this year. The plants look awesome. Hope there is something going on underground!

 

[creativetwinszoo]

@Lazy Gardener it's a sweet potato from their last season, it has little vines growing from it. That's the slip part right?

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Yes. You wait till the sprouts are about 4" long, then remove them. Root them in a glass of water, then plant them in soil. Sweets do not do well in cold climates. Not many gardeners even attempt to grow them here. But... I need a challenge (most likely followed by a failure!) to keep gardening "new" to me.

By planting only the slips, you limit the likelihood of your plants picking up a virus or bacterial infection from the initial tuber.