tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5138459729531944998.post667235891760233788..comments2024-03-11T02:25:25.123-05:00Comments on Living Low in the Lou: Independence Days update, 6-11-12SLClairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17307602613058790026noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5138459729531944998.post-9914004936529199162012-07-06T19:41:29.781-05:002012-07-06T19:41:29.781-05:00The Missouri Extension recommends planting fall po...The Missouri Extension recommends planting fall potatoes on or before July 15. When I tried fall potatoes before, I planted them in early July. The year I planted them that the rest of summer was near average temperatures, I got a high enough yield, say three or four times the weight I planted, that I considered the time and space well spent and used. The year I planted when July through September was considerably hotter than normal, I didn't harvest as much as I planted. Unfortunately, there is no way to know in advance what the weather will be for the rest of the summer. Watering well and mulching deeply, however, could up my odds of getting a good crop by keeping the soil cool and moist, the way potatoes like it. I plan to try that this year.<br /><br />The best advice I can offer on varieties is to choose an early variety rather than a mid-season or later variety. If I plant on July 15 I should have no trouble getting a 60 to 70 day variety to mature, the range considered early in potatoes. 60 days brings us to September 15, but since day length and temperature are decreasing in September, we need to allow an extra two weeks for maturity. That brings us to the end of September. The above-ground part of the potato plant will die with the first frost, precluding further growth of the tuber. In my slightly cooler location the first frost is most likely to occur sometime in the last two weeks of October. Hence I should be able to mature an early potato planted in early to mid July, but mid-season and late varieties may have the tops frozen off before the tubers are mature, reducing yield. In practice this means I'll plant the early 'French Fingerling' potato I'm growing that has already matured and been harvested rather than the late 'German Butterball' potato (still in the ground at this writing, though it looks like the tops are beginning to die back).SLClairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17307602613058790026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5138459729531944998.post-151412684349959042012-06-22T10:38:13.777-05:002012-06-22T10:38:13.777-05:00The garden's looking good! When do you normall...The garden's looking good! When do you normally plant fall potatoes? Have you had success with them before? Do any particular varieties seem to do better for that purpose?Samsarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17926294218082737569noreply@blogger.com