Growing Potatoes

A reader, Pamela, left this comment on my Growing in Bags post.

I planted potatoes for the first time last year. I planted them in the ground with a wire fence around them. As they grew I added straw to the circle. I later found out that potatoes are like tomatoes-determinate and indeterminate. My potatoes didn’t say what they were, but after research I found out they were the determinates that weren’t supposed to have straw or anything as they grew. I hope to find some indeterminates this year to plant.

Pamela

I have grown potatoes in probably 40 or more gardens and I never knew that! For most years, I’ve planted in bags, bins or some kind of vertical container and I usually cut up kitchen potatoes that have sprouted so there are always several different kinds of potatoes. I never noticed that one did better than the others but they all just kinda run together so I don’t even know what vine produced what potatoes unless they’re different colors, and there usually is some variety in color.

I bought seed potatoes at Home Depot last week and knew the bags were still in the garden trash can so I went and got them. Not only do they not say whether they are determinate or indeterminate, they don’t even say what variety they are. All this says is “red, white & blue blend”. I bought these because I thought Addie would think they were cool. I wrote to the customer service and asked . . we’ll see if they respond.

If I look at the picture with the planting instructions, I’d guess that they’re determinate. But who knows if that’s a picture of THOSE potatoes.

Looking at the picture of the potatoes waiting to be harvested, I think they look like indeterminate.

Who knows? Live and learn . . now I’ll be looking for indeterminate potatoes to plant.

Thanks, Pamela! I love learning new stuff.