Your comments and tips

11 Jan 10, Anne (Australia - temperate climate)

i tried to grow potatoes but very poor yield. Plants grew very tall and spindly and few small potatoes what am I lacking in my soils? I used lots of blood and bone manures, chicken and fed weekly with thrive. Should I have used more compost and trace elements?

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04 Jan 10, Leanne (Australia - temperate climate)

Very happy with my first potato harvest. The plant just sprouted from our compost when it was mulched into the garden bed. One of the potato's already has an eye growing - I am going to replant this now and hope for the best.

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03 Jan 10, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Matthew, if you're in a cool/mountain region it's probably a bit late to start potatoes now. We started ours after the frosts stopped (Melbourne cup day, around here). You're best off buying seed potato from a garden shop to avoid problems with potato virus - when they start stocking them is generally the best time to plant them for your area. Seed potato is an ordinary potato grown under controlled conditions - you let it spout and plant it, or cut it in two and let those sprout to get two plants started. Potatoes are all grown as clones by sprouting from a potato tuber. If you try seed (from the berries), you will probably end up with something inedible as they are quite variable.

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03 Jan 10, Janet (Australia - temperate climate)

Thanks Chris. It's got very hot here and all the plants have died down so I've been "bandicooting"! around and had some good feeds so far. I now trying to decide whether to dig all up and store, or leave some in the ground for a while - any thoughts? Also, if leaving in do I continue to water?

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02 Jan 10, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Matthew, you are best to buy 'seed potato' from a nursery or an online seed provider - that way they are certified free of disease. These are potatoes with sprouts, and they usually come with instructions.

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03 Aug 13, Baz (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi does anyone know where I can but Kestrel seed potatoes from

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02 Jan 10, courtney (Australia - temperate climate)

Matthew, you can go to a nursery and buy potatoes that are called seed potatoes but they still look like potatoes, they are just a healthier version of what you get in the super market. they will grow a plant no matter which one you use just sprout them or use ones that already sprouted in your cupboard like the instructions above suggest.

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01 Jan 10, Matthew (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I am about to start potatoes for the first time. I know this may sound stupid but do I use a patato that sprouts to plant or can I get seeds?? Just starting this vegie thing now.

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30 Dec 09, gwen kerr (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

when do you know when to harvest potatoes

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29 Dec 09, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Janet, those fruit on the potatoes are potato berries - they are poisonous and should just be left. You shouldn't need to stake the plants, but you might have fed them a bit much nitrogen if they are growing tons of leaf. You've probably got new potatoes you can harvest now if you feel around ('bandicoot') under the plants, otherwise just leave until the plants die off to harvest full-sized potatoes.

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