Your comments and tips

14 Dec 08, John (Australia - temperate climate)

I am interested in growing spuds in a cage tower. Can anyone tell me if using pelleted fertilzer such as dynamic lifter be as successful as using one of the suggested animal manures? Also, has anyone tried growing spuds in summer and if so with what success?

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10 Dec 08, Jennie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I also am having trouble with my first crop of potatoes (in Sydney) I have planted most in vegie garden and some in pots. With the ones in the vegie garden two thirds have died off before flowering - one third are starting to flower but don't look too healthy. The ones in the pots haven't flowered yet. They were planted end of July. Any ideas greatly appreciated!

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08 Dec 08, Geraldine (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Can anyone advise if I should be concerned that my potaoes (planted late Aug in Syd) are dying off without having flowered? This is my first year with potatos and I'm nut sure exactly how long they take; I was planning on waiting till they flowered then died down to harvest.

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05 Dec 08, Michael (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

We live in the Blue Mountains NSW and would like to plant an Idaho potato. Can any advise on where to buy plants and any growing tips?

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17 Jul 11, Paul (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I'm an American expat living on the Gold Coast. I too have tried to find a source for a good old Idaho potatoes in Australia...So far I haven't had any luck. Idaho's are fantastic potatoes...especially baked. They taste like a real potato!!! Their relatively thick skins make great 'potato skins'...a great snack or appetizer...also unavailable in Australia. I always head straight for the supermarket and stock up on Idaho's when I'm back in the real world!!! One misses out on a lot living here in Oz!!!

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26 Nov 08, Gaungoo Lutchuman (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Am from Mauritius Potatoes cultivation is very popular in Mauritius,the seeds is usually fro australia,Western potatoes,but this year it was inferior in quality, it did not develped as it should be, poor harvest in the country

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28 Oct 08, Grant (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Thanks Geoff on the info regarding growing spuds in tyres. I experimented this year with a few left over that I didnt plant in my beds. I think i'll remove them and stick to using my garden beds

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22 Oct 08, Geoff Brooks (Australia - temperate climate)

I would like to endorse the comments above regarding the use of tyres to grow Potatoes or in fact use to grow any any food. The rubber compounds in both the carcase and tread contain significant numbers of nasties. Tyres are designed to perform at high speed under quite arduous conditions, absolutely not designed as end of life food growing receptacles! They contain many potential hazards/chemicals, far too many to fully list. I will list just a couple,so that fellow readers who do not have my background can appreciate better what they are dealing with. Firstly the reinforcing Carbon Blacks utilized in the rubber compounds, contain significant amounts of Organo-Nitrogen compounds, blacks of this type are banned for use with any "Potable Water" applications! the reason being these compounds are considered as being high risk carciogens. There are special Blacks made specifically for food contact applications, rubber reinforcing blacks are definitely not suitable. Processing aids, The rubber in the tyres must be made to be strong/resilient/heat resistant; specially designed chemical compounds are encorporated into the rubber compounds to achieve this. The chemical compounds used present problems in many directions, firstly they are not ( dont need to be) pure compounds they contain debris from the chemical synthesis processes used to make them; these same compounds also decompose both during Vulcanization and during the life of the tyre. The Organo-Chemical families many of these compounds belong to include compounds that are considered hazardous and not suitable for food contact. The possibility of side chemical reactions between both the impurities and the debris from the degradation, resulting in compounds that could present significant hazards is real. Are tyres dangerous? yes! when attached to cars driven by idiots and when used as receptacles to grow food; otherwise no!

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20 Oct 08, Mary (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Hi fellow spudsters, I grew my first crop of potatoes last year. I had two lots; some I grew in hessian sacks and some I planted in the ground in a patch of soil/horse manure/compost mix. The sacks I kept topping up with a mix of potting mix/horse manure and staw - each time the stalks grew up I covered them. The spuds in the ground I more of less just left, every now and then I covered them with an extra bit of straw. Into both lots I shook some vegetable fertilizer specific for potatoes (can't remember what it was called but it look a bit like big white salt crystals). Both ways of growing were very very successful - very many spuds and very very yummo! I had about four or five different types of spuds and pulling them up was a great surprise because I just bunged them all in together and have no idea which was which but they were all really really lovely. Genuinely better than any I have every bought from a shop. I guess the ones in the shop must be stored for quite a while. I harveted that lot in March this year. The bags seemed to be a lot of work though, so this year I have planted spuds (a month ago - 20 September) in the vegie patch (mix of vegie potting mix, manure - sheep pooh I think and lucerne mulch) and covered them with pea straw. As they sprout all I plan to do is throw a bit of potato fertilizer about and cover the green parts with straw as they grow. These ones I have actually marked which is which. Lessens the surprise I guess but will be fun knowing which one I am eating.

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19 Oct 08, Geraldine (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Regarding building up soil around potato stalk; I have read on other sites/forums that one should start building soil up once the first tubers start forming. It makes more sense to actually build up around the stalk though; does any one else have experience to share regarding this? I do think my spud plants could do with some support about now; I'm growing in Sydney. Thank you

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