Growing Early Potatoes in 5 Different Gardens

[@AerodynamicBrick]

I would love to see how you store all these crops for the year. I usually have to jar them or they'll start to germinate or rot after a couple or so weeks.

[@raventree7707]

This^^

[@swittman9123]

I am also interested in a dedicated storage video. You've mentioned storage a number of times across your library of videos, but outside of onion curing, I don't believe it's been directly addressed.

[@SebSND]

I was just about to ask the same to Bruce. How are you storing your crops? Would be interesting to see.

[@kopftheater]

+

[@REDGardens]

Yes, I haven't mentioned the storage methods that I use in my videos, and it would be good to make a video about that. this crop of early potatoes that I dug up are stored in bags in an old freezer at the shady side of our house, but isn't plugged in. This is more for convenience for the next few months and only slightly warmer than my cellar, which is harder to get in to. The dark and moist conditions of the freezer seem to work well for the few months, and the insulation protects against fluctuations of temperature. I don't think this would work in places that have warmer summers. The dark prevents the potatoes from turning green, and it keeps out the rodents, but I do keep the lid very slightly cracked open to let in some air. For longer term and overwinter storage of larger amounts of potatoes and other root vegetables, I store them in containers in my cellar, which is quite damp. I also store all the jams, pickles (fermented and vinegar) and juices (fermented and non-alcoholic) down there, but many of them get proper hot water bath treatment first. We freeze a lot of the 'fruiting crops' especially beans and peas, and make a lot of tomato sauce that is also frozen. We try to make a lot of soups and other dishes in bulk in the summer and freeze leftovers, more for convenience. The dehydrator we have gets a lot of use, mainly for apples, but I also like drying tomatoes. Storing and preserving is an extra task in itself, which takes up a lot of time, which I often don't have in the summer.

[@anniegaddis5240]

LOVE the continuing experiments along with the results! I have learned SO much from your channel. THANK YOU!!!

[@REDGardens]

Excellent, thanks!

[@Simpledily]

Im impressed with your research. Thanks

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@kirawelty]

Timing is perfect my potatoes are just about ready to harvest. As always thanks for sharing.

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@alisonburgess345]

Ooh good - another Red Gardens episode lol! I love growing spuds... I'm growing all King Edwards this year. Good tip about fertilising early.

[@REDGardens]

:) I haven't tried the King Edward variety yet.

[@alisonburgess345]

@@REDGardens This last year the Russet Burbank and Sebago varieties I grew got struck by hollow heart. The year before, the King Edwards didn't..🤷‍♀️

[@emmettroche313]

I have found setting the potatoes with matured farmyard dung or moss peat can help balance the alkaline soils preventing scab.

[@REDGardens]

Do you use a lot of it right in beside the seed potato, or just generally mixed into the bed?

[@emmettroche313]

@@REDGardens I dig a trench usually about 8 inches deep, then I spread a 3 inch layer of dung, followed by seed potatoes and a light layer of moss peat. Through out the year I gradually rake the soil into the trench and hill up. This has greatly prevented scab and improved storage life.

[@Superstephen1977]

@@emmettroche313 i live on the west coast of Canada, Vancouver island, this year due to the expensive straw prices , i foraged a few bags of peatmoss while walking some local trails , and used it around my strawberries, i was surprised the live moss is still in relatively good condition, i was considering using it in the potatoes, due to its low ph im curios on how much i can put in or around the potatoes, if it should be dried or fresh

[@REDGardens]

@@emmettroche313 Very interesting, thanks.

[@h.s.6269]

As always, I enjoy the breakdown of data you provide. I love how you have the space to experiment and fully embrace that to gain further knowledge on how to continue getting better at growing gardens. Thanks for documenting what you learn and sharing!

[@EtainMcCloud]

A very informative look at a staple crop. I've been watching your videos for years, enjoying your thoughtful and detailed look at food production. Your warmth and compassion come through even as you're talking numbers. Your videos are always a bright spot for me. We just moved into our forever home, the first place I've owned. I'm looking forward to putting the things I've learned from you to good use. I'm in the Pacific NorthWest of Oregon, in the valley. We aren't quite as cool as you, but still, similar enough for a lot of your wisdom and experience to come in handy. Thank you so much for sharing everything you do, and being part of my garden.

[@REDGardens]

Thank you! Hope you have wonderful and productive years in your garden!

[@seanmcgleenan556]

There's plenty of good blight resistant maincrop potatoes available now. Fruithill farm in cork have a great range, i'd recommend carolus, vitabella and connect, flavour is excellent and very good yields. I've grown about 20 odd blight resistant varieties and those are the best tasting/performing ive came across so far. I don't use any pesticides/fungicides sprays at all and get really good results without them.

[@REDGardens]

Yes, there are some good ones, and I am growing both Carolus and Connect this season in the Simple Garden. Glad to hear that you had good success with them. Out of curiosity, where are you located? What kind of soil do you have?

[@AbidAli-bv2gl]

Excellent video

[@REDGardens]

Thanks!

[@ronk4073]

I've read that it is useful to add sulfur to potato beds to make them more acidic and suppress scab. I've also read that sulfur is good for onions and peppers. I wonder if there is a good rotation that could include potatoes, onions, and peppers. Peppers need to be grown when potatoes are growing, so that might not work. But maybe green onions can be slotted in earlier or later than potatoes. Maybe a batch of potatoes, and then green onions. Or if the potatoes are fast enough, a batch of early potatoes in the spring to summer, a batch of early potatoes summer to fall, and a batch of green onions over the winter. In any case, I harvested some early potatoes that were starting to chit, so I buried some of the smaller ones right back in the ground to see if I could get a second batch this year. We'll see.

[@REDGardens]

I have read the same about sulphur, and is something that I am interested in experimenting with. In my soil I doubt the sulphur will last very long, but gradually it will improve the pH. Unfortunately peppers won't grow outside here in Ireland, as that would have been an interesting combination.

[@ronk4073]

@@REDGardens I am experimenting with a cool weather pepper called a Manzano. Another name it goes by is Rocoto. It's a different species than other peppers, from high up in the mountains, which is why they prefer cooler temperatures. They are actually perennials if the winter stays above freezing. I haven't seen any flowers/fruit yet, because they have long growing times, but it might work in Ireland's climate. Something to look into and experiment with. Hope everything is well with you, friend, take care.

[@denarjan]

@@ronk4073 He'd have to drop the PH 2.5 points, from 7.7 to 5.2 to get reliable scab protection, an in doing so sacrificing his brassica clubroot protection of the alkaline soil and going past the point of optimal nutrient uptake for most plants (~PH 6.0). I don't think it be worth it.

[@christinedietler6947]

I really appreciate all of your videos. Thank you for being such a great source of information and inspiration!

[@REDGardens]

You are so welcome!

[@tomjones4318]

I have a plot I call a frontier garden here in the US. Just hacked out of the woods. Trees cut down stumps dug up roots everywhere. Lots of clay brought to the surface. Chunks of roots everywhere. Unamended soil. There was a large fire burning in the middle for months so lots of ash. I planted potatoes for the first time this spring and it was very exciting. They got huge then it would rain and they would flop over and eventually stand back up. Some got seven feet long. Kennebeck is a later variety that gave an 18X yield. In unamended junk soil. I did cover their mounds with compost to keep moisture/temp stable and there was plenty of ash and few pests. They bake great too.

[@REDGardens]

I have a dream of living in the woods and hacking out a veg garden from the forest! Sounds like you had a good year. I expect that in the woods there are not the usual pests that we have bin grassland or suburban contexts, as the vegetable crops are so very different to everything else that is growing in there.

[@tomjones4318]

@@REDGardens I'm moving the woods back about 50 feet every year. This winter I'll dig/pull the stumps I cut last winter and cut another section of trees leaving the stumps. The goal is to have enough area for summer and winter crops and all the rotating needed. I also need more sunlight. I figure a lot of pests haven't found me yet being the second year. Shame to burn all those trees but it's the best I can do for now. I was surprised how well the clay performed. Lots of micro nutrients I guess. Lived on a 250 acre farm once couldn't see a house or light anywhere. That's the way to live. Sunsets are addictive.

[@REDGardens]

@@tomjones4318 Yeah, sunsets are addictive. Hope the pests will take a long time to find you.

[@ArkansasWoodcutter]

I ran into a similar issues buying seed potatoes this season. There were 3 choices all determinant, late earlies 80-100 days. I’ll grow these this year and keep my eyes open for the next.

[@REDGardens]

I was fortunate to get the seed potatoes I wanted. Other friends struggled to find any.

[@vpeters2647]

I'm trying covering with hay this year.

[@REDGardens]

I tried that once years ago and ended up helping the slugs. Hope it works week in your context.

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

Interesting as always. Thanks Bruce.

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@billherrick3569]

Even here in US zone 3 we have to leave our potatoes in the ground till October as we wait for the root cellar to cool off enough to safely store our potatoes for winter. We grow about 1000 sq. ft. potato patch.

[@REDGardens]

That makes sense. I figure it is about the same here. 1000sf patch is a nice big area. What kind of yield do you expect from that area?

[@billherrick3569]

@@REDGardens I wish I was as diligent as you at keeping exact records but all I can tell you is that we usually have enough to last all winter and plant again next spring. Several bushels I suppose. Love your channel.

[@lukelints9776]

You should try growing potatoes underneath woodchips, they come out fairly clean and I only plant on the surface, no digging but just additional mulch overtop if necessary, most of the time not necessary.

[@lukelints9776]

I also after a potato harvest I even out the soft ground and immediately plant carrots, my carrots get huge with perfect growth and very quick growth at that, instead of planting an additional amount of potatoes, diversifying my intake.

[@REDGardens]

That is an interesting idea. When you plant carrots, is it in the remains of the woodchip, or do you remove this layer?

[@lukelints9776]

@@REDGardens I remove the woodchips, even out the ground and simply put the carrot seeds on top, and additionally sprinkle a little sifted compost on top. Helps keep moisture, I grew over 25,000 carrots this year all shapes and sizes, some are going to stay in the ground during the winter months for freshness sake, because the nutrient value goes down after about 10 minutes or so.

[@lukelints9776]

However I will say that you can plant directly into the soil underneath the chips, keeping the chips away from the carrot until it gets big, I allow gravity to fill the hole back in and I grow carrots this way without irrigation.

[@Superstephen1977]

Hey red ! Amazing content as always .. Im doing alot of seed related diy things this year , peas year 2- sunflower year 3 - now radish year 1 -tomato year 2 -other seed this year includes kale ,Brussels and pole beans as they are really good this year ! My problem with seed potatoes is always that i never have enuff for the next year , so this year i put them in large totes as a growing experiment and noticed how well potatoes store in dirt its a fairly simple mix potting soil , straw hay mulch tree needles ,soon i will add Natural peat moss , the tote i move around frequently checking the potatoes looks amazing after 4 months , i never alow the tubers to get to large a few grow roots and small potatoes with no growth outside of the soil , i water them once and a while to keep moisture, My thoughts are this year i will keep them outside in the tote covered with straw and a tarp , and take them out to chit them in early spring before the last frost , this should solve my problem of having more than enuff seed potatoes ! I truly believe that the seeds become acclimated to your area ... this year we will have more supply chain problem im positive things in that area wont be good for years to come

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, you need to have a big harvest to be able to spare seed potatoes for next year, and to store them in good condition. Using a tote covered with soil sounds like a good option, as the potatoes ar in their natural habitat then. I agree that the supply chain problems are going to only get worse. Time to shift our patterns to adapt!

[@the_pagan_poet]

thanks Bruce, informative as usual. made me think about planning different stages and potato varieties

[@philandhannahslittlefarm1464]

Thanks for the video!

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@MATFarm22]

Amazing! Thanks for another video about potatoes, it was very helpful!

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@dubcindub15]

Your spuds look as healthy as can be, kodak spuds! Have you watched the allotment gardeners who plant in pots of varying sizes to maximise yield/minimise soil and compost usage? Using the perimeter/circumference of the pots compared to the yield could give an optimal distance for spacing tubers apart in the ground to maximise yield from the area available. You seem to have a more mathematical head than most gardening growers, so I'd like to see if you could make any input into my random 3am theory :)

[@REDGardens]

I have seen those container potato growing videos. Excellent stuff. I want to explore more container and bag growing next year. When they are in the pot, you don't need to worry about below ground competition between the plants - except if you have more than one plant per pot, so it is only about above ground competition. You could start with the pots veery close together, and move them further apart as the season progresses. But with pots, the key tasks are making sure there is enough fertility, and consistent amounts of water.

[@MIck1-10]

Nice crop.

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@steveandtedssmallspacegard8587]

Awesome comparison as always! When do you plant early potatoes in poly tunnel and how much does it speed up their maturity.

[@REDGardens]

I have planted the early potatoes in the polytunnel from December through to January, and I find I get a crop at least 6 weeks earlier than outside.

[@elizabethveness7340]

Potatoes are the one thing I have growing all the time here in Australia. Dont know why but its the one thing I can grow without hassle ( maybe its my Irish background 😉) I have even hijacked my dads yard to expand my yield. I love digging them up. Its like treasure hunting.

[@josephlarsen]

have you played with true potato seeds? It seems like you'd be able to select for some varieties that work great with no blight in your environment. Maybe making a few new potato varieties for ireland in general

[@REDGardens]

I haven't tried true potato seed, but it would be interesting.

[@ExProsiveGaming]

2:03 One inch equals 25.4 millimeters. Therefore 15 Millimeters is not 2 inches, but closer to half an inch.

[@danielfisch655]

Great info, thank you for sharing.

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@johnkay4701]

Hi, could I ask what your average multiplier is from sowing your seed potatoes, ie. if you sowed your full 25kg, what total weight would you harvest? Believe it or not, I had planted out 2.5kg of el-cheapo Tesco spuds that had been on offer at 25p/2.5kg for their Xmas offers, planted in 01/04/21. I'm currently still lifting the produce from these, but this year seems to have been way, way, better than last year. I'm guessing at a multiplier of 6x - 8x : 1; I'll know for definite later. Last year I had failed to water them during the spring drought & also I'd lost quite a lot to damage by Chafer beetle grubs; so my multiplier was only about 3:1. This year I haven't found any of the Chafer's; maybe I'd clobbered them all last year. Thanks for your tips in the comments about storage of the spuds. I think I'll put mine in a redundant upright freezer & see if they store ok in there. Best regards Bruce, from a cloudy Colchester.

[@KashmirMovieProduction]

Such a great

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@jimalexander7332]

Hi Bruce. Do you ever get wireworms in the potatoes. Any tips on controlling them?

[@REDGardens]

No, thankfully, we don't have an issue with wireworms.

[@karlfoley5221]

I grew main crop sarpo mia potatoes as they are suppose to be blight resistant but I now have a very bad blight outbreak

[@REDGardens]

Ah, that sucks. Blight resistance in some varieties doesn't seem to last for a long time, the blight keeps evolving.

[@michelemarble6799]

What did you use for fertilizer on your potatoes? It looks like ash but doesn’t that make the soil more alkaline causing more scab? I have a problem with that problem.

[@REDGardens]

Depends on the garden. Mostly different types of compost. And some have additional chicken manure pellets added. I try to avoid ash because I already have alkaline soil.

[@adamt195]

Do you compost the dead plants? Or is there a worry of blight staying around?

[@REDGardens]

I make sure to add them into the middle of a hot compost pile to kill off the plants and blight.

[@hansladefoged382]

Wow, interesting.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks!

[@TheAwkwardturtleguy]

How come you don't grow potatoes in containers?

[@loam6740]

8:24 oh dear god Ive never seen a potato that rotten

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, but thankfully there were only a few of them.

[@thomascreamer1519]

did I miss something? what happened to the simple garden?

[@emmettroche313]

I think he only grows maincrop potatoes in the simple garden

[@REDGardens]

Yep, no early potatoes in the Simple Garden!

[@teatimetraveller]

@@REDGardens what varieties of maincrop spuds do you grow?

[@REDGardens]

@@teatimetraveller This season I have grown Carolus, Axona, Blue Danube and Connect, and they all seem to be doing well.

[@teatimetraveller]

@@REDGardens good. where would we be without sarpos...

[@PaleGhost69]

So many worms!!!

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, there were a lot of them!