I made sectional container and added 7" sections as growth poked through. Got to about 5' tall . when I unveiled it in latter fall there were very few potatoes. A lot of care for no result, any idea what happened?
Neig, the potatoes you planted were probably determinant, which means they will only produce tubers for a limited space even if the green growth continues and you keep burying it as it gets taller. That is what I discovered when I tried to grow in potato bags that are 17" tall, 13" in diameter. I used store bought potatoes and used any that started sprouting as seed potatoes, and began with 6" of soil, put seed potatoes on top, added another 6" of soil, and when the tops got about 8" above the soil, I kept added soil as they grew, thinking the plant would produce more tubers above the original layer, but none have ever done so, so I think all my russet, golden, and red potatoes originally purchased from stores are all determinant varieties.
If anyone knows of any indeterminant varieties suitable for container gardening in Zone 10A, please post.
09 Feb 23 Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
I forgot to mention -- not all potatoes are suitable for towering -- it is very possible they used all their energy going up -- and did not have enough time left over for tuber formation -- which to me means -- if your going to tower that tall -- once you have the potatoes at full height your still going to need at LEAST a couple of months for the plants to set potatoes. One potato site lists these potatoes as being suitable for towering (they are not the only varieties, but they are the varieties they sell that are suitable for towering -- it has something to do with setting potatoes throughout the season -- kind of like indeterminate tomatoes) -- AmaRosa, Bellanita, French Fingerling, Pink Fir Apple, and Rode Eesteling (my personal favourite). I have only ever towered successfully to about 3.5 feet -- and the containers had 3" holes all around and the potato plants sent leaves out the holes on the sides of the container.
09 Feb 23 Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Potatoes need potassium (also called potash). Further, potatoes need potassium at the VERY BEGINNING of their growth cycle -- that is, for some reason potato plants uptake all (or MOST) or their potassium at the VERY beginning of tuber formation. If at the very beginning of tuber formation (probably barely visible to the human eye) -- anyhow, if there is not enough potassium you WILL impact tuber growth. At a minimum you will have HOLLOW HEART -- which is potatoes with an empty middle -- the potato sort of grows like a balloon being blown up -- and the tuber will take from the middle to reinforce the outside walls -- that is why the smaller potatoes will not have hollow heart, but the larger potatoes will -- THAT IS TO SAY: potassium supply will impact not only SIZE of the potatoes but the density.
If you grow determinate potato they only grown on one level. There is absolutely no need or reason to keep piling up as the plant grows. Indeterminate potato will grow multi level but also no need to pile up.
Not when container grown anyway.
There is a gentleman that knows a ton on growing and constantly had tested different things. He has a great playlist on YT and his channel is simplify gardening. He is in Wales UK but really knows his stuff.
Also knowing what potatos are early, second early variety helps as to when to get them started etc.
05 Jan 23 Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Probably too much N fertiliser. It is not about growing a tall plant. It is about growing a plant that produces a crop. A good amount of general fert before planting and hill the soil up around the pant when about 12 inches
It is because it takes 3 months for Potash to become available in the soil. You always have to plan ahead when you are using Potash or, no matter how much you put on your tater plants they won't be able to access it.
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