Potatoes

oldute · **Posted:** Tue Sep 25, 2012 2:51 pm

Potato scab. Once you get it you keep getting it if planting in the same soil.
My first few crops didnt have it then started getting it each time. (And I only use bought seed potatoes.)
Found that the red skinned potatoes, ruby lou, are much less susceptible to it.
Doesnt look nice but peels off and spuds taste the same.

Simo · **Posted:** Fri Sep 28, 2012 5:45 pm

Thanks Oldute, I did a bit of research:

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/p ... f-potatoes

Turns out it is worsened by warm dry soil during tuber growth and I went away for two weeks during the dry July we had in Perth assuming there would be rain :bash:

Simo · **Posted:** Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:50 am

Never thought of growing spuds in Perth over summer until Faye mentioned it somewhere else but they go great guns, so now I have spuds growing all year round. They love the wicking beds too!

Faye · **Posted:** Fri Feb 08, 2013 7:22 pm

Aah you put me to shame Simo. I have stuck with the designated watering days this year, sometimes I don't know why, when you can suffer such losses and heartbreak.
After hardly being home for the lsat 4 weeks and touring my garden in daylight, it just makes me want to cry. If only I had watered every second day, that would only be an extra watering a fortnight. How naught would that really be. To stretch watering from Thursday to Sunday and nothing in between is just a recipe for disaster.

gazza · **Posted:** Fri Feb 08, 2013 7:59 pm

Especially when you are watering for food production, and saving water that would otherwise be used elsewhere

Simo · **Posted:** Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:23 am

I thought you had a bore Faye?

My water is all from rainwater tanks so I do with it what I like but it still has too be managed carefully especially in low rainfall years. One 150,000 tank is enough for the house, horses and house garden, I spent $10,000 for a second 150,000L tank which I fill most years, this extra water is for my food growing and as back up in drought, money well spent I think.

Simo · **Posted:** Sat May 11, 2013 9:23 am

Well I think I know why they normally only grow spuds in winter in Australia, I harvested my summer spuds ad despite very vigorous lush green top growth there were vey few acual tubers by the time the plant died off. I would estimat that I harvested 25kg from double the growing area that I planted over winter from which I got ~ 50kg.

The spuds were also very small and many irregularly shaped but it is 25kg of spud that I didn't grow last year but at a yeild of 1.5 to 2 spuds per seed potato I don't think it is worth growing them over summer when other plants taking up the same space wold be more productive.

gazza · **Posted:** Sat May 11, 2013 10:36 am

Where abouts is good for seed potatoes in Perth? Spud shed had some purple congos a couple of weeks back and they were quite nice. I went back to get some for seeding and they were all gone :dunno:

Simo · **Posted:** Fri Nov 15, 2013 1:26 pm

I harvested 3/4 of my potato beds this year two of which were new beds in the food forest, pretty happy with the results, I recon about 60kg

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Nov 17, 2013 11:59 pm

That looks great Simo

Burnsy · **Posted:** Mon Nov 18, 2013 8:49 pm

Hope you got enough trout to go with all those chips!!!

Simo · **Posted:** Tue Nov 19, 2013 9:33 am

still have 25 left but with December approaching I better drop that number fast.

Charlie · **Posted:** Fri Nov 22, 2013 5:51 pm

hats off to you simo!

do you store them in heshen bags in the shed or somewhere

Simo · **Posted:** Sat Nov 23, 2013 9:25 am

Two season ago I stored the in half blue barrels covered in dry dirt in the shed so that the were cool, dark and dry and they lasted about 4-5 months before they started to go a bit soft or sprouted, last season I thought I would try storing them in the old feed bags in the pantry which is also cool dark and dry and they lasted the same time but I didn't have to walk down to the shed and dig around in the dirt every time I wanted a spud. so from now on I will just keep them in the bags in the pantry.

Simo · **Posted:** Sat Nov 23, 2013 9:27 am

[quote="Simo"]Two season ago I stored them in half blue barrels covered in dry dirt in the shed so that the were cool, dark and dry and they lasted about 4-5 months before they started to go a bit soft or sprouted, last season I thought I would try storing them in the old feed bags in the pantry which is also cool dark and dry and they lasted the same time but I didn't have to walk down to the shed and dig around in the dirt every time I wanted a spud. So now I just leave them in the bags out of the light in the pantry.

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Potatoes

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Potatoes

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