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Showing 331 - 360 of 13832 comments
Potato 06 May, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Technically you don't HAVE TO HILL any variety of potatoes. Here's how it works: you plant the seed potato (which is an extra small potato saved/stored from last year's harvest -- or a piece of a larger potato that you stored/saved from last year) -- the DEPTH THAT you PLANT that SEED POTATO determines your LOWEST POINT -- GENERALLY, and I do mean GENERALLY (like 95% of the potatoes) the potato plant will not create tubers LOWER than the depth you planted the seed potato at (so your seed potato is the BOTTOM of the plants tubers/potatoes). Which is why some people think the very bottom potato always rots, when in reality it is the seed potato and is expected to grow and will appear rotten. Which means if you don't hill up as your potato plant grows and you planted the seed potato shallow, there is not that much ROOM for the potato plant to put it's tubers, and larger tubers will usually "pop" out of the soil and turn green due to sun exposure. If you don't want to hill up, plant your seed potato deeper than recommended -- yes it will be fine -- the reason you plant shallow and mound up is because the potato plant will be able to get leaves into the sun sooner if it's seed potato was planted shallow, which means it will grow quicker because it is collecting light sooner -- then you mound up to offset that you planted the seed potato shallow, but you always leave lots of leaves exposed to the sun so the plant can collect sun and grow. It's a lot of extra work work to mound up soil-- and maybe speeds up the process "brings in the harvest" by 10 days or so.... My experience is planting seed potatoes a foot deep ((30cm) is fine -- yes the plant takes a little longer for it's leaves to surface -- but it's fine and you should not experience any problems - provided the soil is nice and loose. (hopefully that makes senses). I think in the future I will plant two potatoes side by side -- one deep, one using the mound method and record the progress and final outcomes... I have never done a tandem planting -- BUT I HAVE had potatoes spring up from deep down Once as I dug out one of these "self planted potatoes" I realized it was down about 30" (70cm) -- it was in a potato planting tower (old full size garbage can full of 3" holes all over) which I dumped and collect the potatoes from the year before, then just put the soil back, week by week, as I composted kitchen scraps directly into the soil... so no surprise that a potato was so deep -- it grew -- it put out potatoes and it's crop was average good... it spent a lot of energy growing up -- and perhaps I harvested too early based on the other potatoes-- but it made it and did OK, good size potatoes, good quantity. I would not recommend placing your seed potatoes that deep, but a foot (30cm) should be fine.
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Potato 03 Nov, Scott (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The other reason to hill potatoes is that the plant gets quite tall and top heavy. This makes it susceptible to getting blown over by wind. This will cause the plants to die off early. If you hill it mid season you stop the plant from blowing over and you increase the size of the potatoes as they have had longer to grow and mature.
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Potato 13 Nov, Christian (USA - Zone 7b climate)
I heard that the potato will stop sending nutrients to the tubers if the stalks are bent. One of the most successful potato harvests I have ever seen was a large container grown project where he used several layers (think of a layer cake) of horizontal plastic fencing and t-posts at each corner to hold the horizontal fencing to keep the stalks from bending at all and support them as they grew. They were able to get an absolutely massive yield with that method although he was sick all summer and didn't care for them or water them at all. I am not sure that the container growing was as pivotal in the results as just keeping the stalks from bending over. I have container grown before and will try it again this spring as well as ground growing using his methods to keep the stalks upright. I think another often overlooked issue is either too much or too little phosphorus and potash in 10-10-10 fertilizer. I think 'balanced' fertilizers can present real problems for root crops since they don't need or want balanced inputs. You will always have too much of something and too little of the other. Also there is a time delay on phosphorus while it stays in the upper part of the soil, so you can apply phosphorus to increase tuber formation, but it takes 3 months to disperse into the soil, while nitrogen sinks like a stone through soil an becomes almost immediately bio-unavailable (or runs off into the environment via water). So if you are using 10-10-10 you are going to end up poisoning your plants in order to get one or another nutrients available in the correct quantity. Plus factor in the time delay to bioavailability. I think it is better to thoroughly prepare soil before you put your garden to bed in the winter than prepare it in the spring (actually I have revived some fruit trees that were very old and no longer producing by fall fertilizing; I got almost $700 worth of organic pears and even more than this in apples last year through fall fertilizing). I also heard (and studied it last year in my own garden) that potatoes grow between the seed potato and the surface. If you bury them deep you will increase yields as there is more space for them to grow above the seed potato. But if you plant them shallow, they have a very narrow area to make potatoes in, significantly reducing production. This means in container gardening you need to put them at the very bottom of a 1'-6" (0.45 meters) tall container to get a full yield. I tried this method last year and doubled my production. I was putting them very close to the surface before last year. Also, potatoes need cool roots and won't produce anything at all if their roots are too hot in the container during the summer. Afternoon/evening shade is a must in Southern US zones or other hot environments. Or you could insulate or shade the container.
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Potato 06 May, Benjamin Chapman (Australia - temperate climate)
I have been told that the terms I used (specific and non-specific) could be wrong. Someone else has said the terms are "determinate" and "non-determinate".
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Potato 08 May, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
I'm not certain if the initial question is using the correct terminology or not... there are so many different ways to categorize things. If it is determinate verses indeterminate -- then it is like tomatoes -- the indeterminate are like a vine, and continue to grow - which means they CAN BE towered ( but don't have to be) and they will continue to put out "layers" of tubers as you hill up. However, indeterminate potatoes can be grown as determinate.... you DON'T HAVE TO tower or hill up -- so long as you plant the seed potato deep enough. You can get more potatoes per square foot of real estate out of the indeterminate type of potato, but it does take longer. So you need to think about - time verses space verses growing methods.
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 15 Apr, Annabelle (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I have grown tomatillos for several years -they usually grow from self seeding. This season, very strangely a whole lot of seedlings self grew but they have turned into what looks like Cape gooseberries - which I have never grown in my garden at all.. they have the cases and are yellow and small. I am very confused.( I also am harvesting tomatillos at the moment from self seeded plants. Definitely different plants.) Is there some sort of regressive hybrid or genetic weirdness going on here?
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Sunflower 12 Apr, Chris Harcoan (Australia - temperate climate)
When is the best time to plant sunflowers in Mildura Victoria...
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Onion 12 Apr, marco (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
hi i live on the gold coast Queensland . i have planted my onion 2 weeks ago in the cloudy times .ok .then we hit harsh sun times .i had to cover and they are ok growing well .if u just leave them in the sun they fry .....my second batch i lost maybe half my crop ...
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Sage (also Common Sage) 12 Apr, marco (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
my sage the leaf curls and starts going brown ...i can take the leaves off yet not much left of the plant .i think they are spider mites .any solution on a natural spray i can use .we use all the time ...
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Rhubarb 12 Apr, Judy James (Australia - temperate climate)
My rhubarb has got new growth at the moment in April but I would like to transplant it. When is the best month please? Thanks. Judy
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Rhubarb 19 Apr, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
August Sept
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Coriander (also Cilantro, Chinese parsley) 07 Apr, Phil (Australia - temperate climate)
This would interest any gardeners in PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. After repeated attempts of transplanting coriander in the spring and watching it slowly grow to a small growth then just bolt to seed. After hearing a quick excerpt from the Garden Gurus show last year recommending the autumn period (April-May)....the success was evident. I had a massive crop just with 3 plants....Hope this helps and....plant now!
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Coriander (also Cilantro, Chinese parsley) 06 May, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Good advice for my area as well -- thanks
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Coriander (also Cilantro, Chinese parsley) 19 Apr, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Coriander does not like being transplanted and handled much. Yes it bolts to seed quick so grow it in the autumn winter.
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Pumpkin 06 Apr, Kat (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Can I grow Kent pumpkin in autumn winter in Coffs Harbour area ?
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Pumpkin 19 Apr, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Spring summer.
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Rockmelon (also Canteloupe) 04 Apr, Jagjit (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
What pesticide should be used & fertiliser?What time should give fertiliser?Thaks
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Rockmelon (also Canteloupe) 05 Apr, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Fertilise before planting or after the plants have established a bit.
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Jerusalem Artichokes (also Sunchoke) 01 Apr, George Antoon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi everyone Sunchoke is planted in April (Sydney) harvested in April. I’m pleased to give you some to plant but in April 2024.
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Jerusalem Artichokes (also Sunchoke) 28 Jun, Neil Baldock (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi thank you so much did grow some in Melbourne but now live in Mannum South Australia on the River Murray
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Broccoli 31 Mar, marco (Australia - tropical climate)
one of my plants flowers so i pulled it out .space ...the others are looking good !! i have noticed the lush green look has a glowing yellow look in the leaves .any tips .
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Garlic 27 Mar, Tony (Australia - tropical climate)
I live in Townsville and want to see if we can grow garlic. Any suggestions?
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Garlic 03 Apr, (Australia - tropical climate)
Good friable soil not too rich. Plant anytime in the next 3 mths.
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Sunflower 24 Mar, Wayne Thresher (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I lost most of my crop to the wet chill weather this past summer. I'll have to buy chook feed this year. Can anyone recommend the hardiest crop that can tough out changing climate. rainy, windy wet cold ... nevermind... I'm moving :) Same question for maize if you have knowledge
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Sunflower 27 Mar, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The weather works against us sometimes.
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Rutabaga (also Swedes) 21 Mar, Greg J (Australia - temperate climate)
Swedes actually freeze long term pretty good, if you cook them and mash them up the same way you would to serve them, and then stick the mash in plastic bags and stick them in the deep freeze. The frozen mash lasts for months, and you just whip out a bag when you want a side dish of mashed swedes and let it defrost, and off you go! No difference in taste or texture at all.
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Potato 15 Mar, Loreley dunwell (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Where can I buy seed potatoes, please. We are in the Lockyer valley. Last year we grew sebago and had a wonderful crop but can’t find any at the moment,
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Potato 31 May, Rebecca (Australia - tropical climate)
Happy Valley Seeds has some at the moment
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Potato 21 Mar, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Try some produce agency (supplies to farmers of farming stuff), then a nursery or on line.
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Garlic 12 Mar, Kay (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I live in Logan and would love to grow garlic but have had no success so if you can provide name of garlic and where to get the corms please Thanking you Kay
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Showing 331 - 360 of 13832 comments
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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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