Potato shortage

Everyone is talking about how the corn will be high this year, but no one is talking about potatoes. At dinner last night, mom was telling us about going to buy tators at the local grocery store, and 10 lbs was 7.99.....wow! Then my brother who works for Frito Lay, was telling us that, at least in our area (Southern Ohio and North central Kentucky), they are not getting any more potato chips the rest of the year. What they have in the wharehouse is all that they have. He said the flooding in the mid-west has already destroyed their crops.

Seed tators are already out of season, they should have been planted by March 17......but I'm going to try my luck anyway. I'm going to go buy the 10 lb bag, and use them for seed. Anyone that has a place for a garden might also consider doing the same. I'm hoping that by planting them in a shaded area and keeping them will get them growing.

Oh my gosh! Thanks for the heads up, Corin. Prices have become crazy. We went and bought some pasta last week for spaghetti, and the prices have doubled.

I managed to get a couple of seed potatoes planted, I don't think I have any potatoes growing yet. How can you tell? I still have a bunch left that didn't get planted because of the rain. The two planted are in pots. I'm glad I'm not a big potatoe chip eater, but I do love potatoes!!

Greetings everyone;

My Mom was saying that with the way the prices for groceries are going up and with the scare we had for the tomatoes, people will go back to growing their own veggies in the near future for those that haven't already. Even the ones in appartment complexes will be finding ways, just like in Europe where you see their gardens in planters or pots.

She was saying that most of us have not survived the great depression, and we are spoilt. But you will soon learn one way or other.

Thankfully, my Mother taught me much about the life and how to survive during the great depression, I had excellent grandparents and other relatives who still insisted living off the grid and lived the old way.

masterindisguise wrote:

I managed to get a couple of seed potatoes planted, I don't think I have any potatoes growing yet. How can you tell? I still have a bunch left that didn't get planted because of the rain. The two planted are in pots. I'm glad I'm not a big potatoe chip eater, but I do love potatoes!!

MID, We've planted potatoes before, but not had much luck with them, last year was the first time we ever got them to do anything. Hubby said it takes about 14 days to break through ground....LOL...he doesn't know everything :) Anyway, after the 14 days passed, he wanted to til up the ground and try again, but I wouldn't let him, turns out, it took closer to a month for them to break through the ground, at least for me. (I may have planted them to deep. ) They look like weeds, the ugliest weed you can imagine, lol.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/senior/vegetabl/potato2.htm

The link to the pic says they look like tomato plants, but they don't look like any tomato plant I"ve ever seen. But the plants in the pic look like the potatoes we had.

I have a real potato instruction message: LET ANY BAG OF POTATOES (your favorites) YOU BUY FROM THE GROCERY STORE. LEt THEM SIT ON A SHELF ALL BY THEMSELVES. (no plastic touching them). DEPENDING ON THE TEMPERATURE IN YOUR HOUSE/BALCONY THEY WILL SPROUT. ITS THE EYES! EVERY EYE, ONCE IT HAS ROOTS,STEMS AND LEAVES (an inch or so) SLICE IT WITH THE SKIN AND SOME FLESH ON EACH EYE, AND PLANT EYE (rooty white tube like protrusions) FACE DOWN IN DEEP (OR 1 TO 2 FT HIGH MOUND) HALF SANDY, HALF DIRT SPOT ANYWHERE AND WATER OFTEN. ONE 5 LB BAG OF POTATOES COULD COVER YOUR LAWN EVENTUALLY. ONCE THE TOPSIDE PLANT IS LIKE ANY OTHER TOMATO/ BELLA DONNA PLANT (WHOSE FLOWERS AND YOUNG SHOOTS ARE TOXIC), BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING UNDERNEATH TAKES AT LEAST SIX GOOD MONTHS OF SLEEPIN' WID MAMA EARTH, LETTIN' HER FEED DEM TUBERS , BABY! UNTIL (if planted in early spring, you get'em early fall, etc., etc.- depending on enough mild weather and good sandy drainage--in case of accidental over-watering. (You aren't watering like you would tomatoes. You don't want tons of leaves and stems and flowers. They take up too much nutrients the taters (little tuber babies) need. I ALSO PLANT ONLY THREE OR FOUR "EYES" ON ITS OWN MOUND, LIKE I DO CUCUMBERS AND SQUASH. I LEARNED THIS IN EUROPE, AND LIKE LITTLEFIRE MENTIONED, IT WORKS EVEN ON MY BALCONY (MY MOUNDS ARE 5GAL BUCKETS. EACH MOUND GIVES ME AT LEAST A BAG FULL OF TATERS BY THE END OF SUMMER......

Wild Dove, that's a wonderful idea, I never thought of letting them go ahead and sprout before I planted them. I may try it your way before I plant. (Truth is, if I look in my cupboard, I prolly already have some sprouting...LOL, all due to the ac thing.)

LittleFire, I certainly hope they do start. As awful as it sounds, I fear most won't, and then when they start starving, they will hurt those who did to get what they need.

okay guys, I followed the nursery's instructions and have two very nice, rather large potatoe plants. What I am wondering is, how long before I can start expecting potatoes? Also, with all this wet weather most of us seem to be having making it virtually impossible to plant anything in the ground I was thinking, it really isn't difficult to grow inside. If you have a garage or basement, even a spare room, you can have a garden inside. Get some fluorescent light "covers" (thats probably not the right terminology) some chain to hang them by and for each "set" you get one fluorescent bulb and one full spectrum bulb. okay don't quote me on the full spectrum bulb but I'm pretty sure thats right, I'll have to double check and get back with you. Anyway, if your starting from seed, invest in some warming mats, you'll want to have tables to set all this stuff on, some 4"" pots and the trays to put the pots in. starting the plants is easy. (I've actually done it in the past. Believe me, if I can manage to get something to grow ANYONE can.) Anyway, when the plants are too big for the small pots transplant them to bigger pots. It wouldn't hurt to get a book or two on container gardening. They can give you much more detailed information. If you have a yard and the money buy or build yourself a greenhouse. Happy Gardening! its a lot easier said than done.

Well, MID, you asked the question I would like to know. How do you know when you have potatoes?

I also have another question. If you plant some garlic in with your potatoes, will it make the potatoes a bit more flavorful? I was thinking of buying some of those yummy Yukon Gold potatoes and then growing them in the same container with some garlic, and voila! Garlicky, buttery potatoes!

I'm not entirely sure, I just decided I wanted some fresh potatoes, and went out to the garden and started digging. I'm thinking it was a couple of months. I think you have to wait until the plant blooms. (That's why they need to be in the ground by March 17, at least here. That and the cold weather start.) You can leave them in the ground all winter, (Which is what we did) and just dig as you need them. Best place to store them too, under ground. Unless you like new potatoes. Yummy, with some fresh green beans! New potatoes are ready to eat about the same time as green beans are ready to pick, but if you want them bigger, you have to wait. Does that help anyone? lol

I love the way you think, BTM, but I don't think it quite works that way :( The plants that you want to cross need to be the same kind of veggie. Like pepper plants, if you plant hot and mild bananna peppers close together, you will get a medium heat, but you can have one on one plant that is hot, and then another on the same plant will not be hot at all.

Thanks Corin. I can't remember when I planted them. I think it was April. They haven't bloomed yet. They are the Yukon Gold. I also have seed potatoe new and russet which didn't get planted.

I planted a sweet potato years ago, and it took over my entire yard. I had potatoes everywhere. Buckets and buckets and buckets full.

Too bad I don't like sweet potatoes. I don't even think they should be called a "potato."

Potatoes are comfort food, and one of my favorites, but you can keep those nasty sweet potatoes.

I agree with you Spring, I never acquired a taste for sweet potatoes. Although once I had a piece of sweet potatoe pie, it tasted like pumpkin pie.

Spring Miracles wrote:

I planted a sweet potato years ago, and it took over my entire yard. I had potatoes everywhere. Buckets and buckets and buckets full.

Too bad I don't like sweet potatoes. I don't even think they should be called a "potato."

Potatoes are comfort food, and one of my favorites, but you can keep those nasty sweet potatoes.

Spring, I agree 100 percent! I also don't like cooked carrots because of them. I could never eat sweet potatoes and my mom would cook them, then try to tell me they were cooked carrots, which worked to her detrement (Every time she tried this, I ended up throwing up), anyway, to this day, I won't touch either...lol I can't even stand to smell them cooking.

This is funny that so many don't like sweet potatoes! I thought I was the only one. I think they are disgusting beyond belief. YECH! Corin I used to have the same identical problem with carrots, but once I got over the orange thing I actually like them, but don't dare try to give me to those icky sweet potatoes in any form, especially a casserole at Christmas, and for goodness sakes it seems like everybody makes those disgusting dishes. Now you can even buy them frozen. I avoid that part of the frozen food section at all costs. They make me throw up too! Even the smell. What in the hell is up with that?

ROFLMAO!!! I have no idea what's up with that :funny1: That is wild, I'm glad I'm not the only one with that reaction!

Beets make me want to hurl. Now THOSE stink!! I remember in grade school they would serve them for lunch occasionally. I would drink all my milk and put the beets in the empty milk container so the lunch police would think I ate them.

MID I love beets. There is not too much I won't eat except for liver, SWEET POTATOES, and okra.

Now okra is in the same category as those icky sweet potatoes. I have a serious aversion to that stuff. It is furry, and it has a white slime that comes out it, and it is very, very disgusting. Can't even fry it to make it palatable.

GAWD I need to go wash my mouth out with Kaboom just thinking about this stuff.

Let's add HOMINY to that list. Thank you. lol

AND TRIPE!!!!!

AMAZING TALKING ABOUT BEETS....JUST CAME HOME FROM GROCERY OUTLET WITH BEETS, CARROTS AND APPLES. ADD A CLOVE OF GARLIC, PUT ALL IN BLENDER (JUICER) AND ENJOY. THIS MONTH IS MY 20LB BELLY ROLL DIET (Like to see my belly button when I look down there....haven't been able to, lately.....) SO SALAD AND JUICE IT IS. ACTUALLY BEET,CARROT, APPLE AND GARLIC DRINK IS DEE-LISHUS!!!!

Funny you should mention juicing Wild Dove. When I juice beets with other stuff I can't taste it and can drink it. I've also had beet juice powder in the past and can mix it with a green powder in water and take it that way. I'm with you on the liver and okra Spring, I like hominy. I hate onions, I can eat them if they are well cooked and you can't taste them.

I guess MID, for our up-coming Twohawknest TaVernacle Sunday Pickled Okra Picnic, we will have to re-arrange the who brings what menu......
gotto get our pastor Two and his wife back out of their smoochy-coo private little kitchen nest and make their move soon for the rest of the committee who have to bear the holy jugs single-handedly.....we also might need to change the virgin vestal holy juice punch bowl and goblets to match the color of eggplant AND beetlebub juice when they're not there....

:laugh4: