Hi my name is mark I had a fluke happen I used my organic waste from my itchen for mulch. Low and behold I used that mulch and I got plant growing in my garden . Mind you im tickled pink by it but there growing in winter. I live in the central valley ca . Is there any4hing I need to know so I dont loose them? How long do I wait before I harvest? Thank you for your time.

Hi:),
I live in Southern Massachusetts and my mum hucked some bad potatoes out in the yard and garden (probably in the early summer/spring) and I went over one day and noticed nice big aprox. 2-21/2' plants with flowers. There was a potato showing that had lots of bug holes in it, but I think the plant was growing out of it?? Maybe?? She did not plant the potatoes, just threw them out for the animals. I think we might have already had a frost, it has gotten quite close anyways, but the plants are not dead yet. Should we get to digging?

In late April, a store bought potato had sprouting eyes on it. I cut the potato in half and stuck it in a pot & covered with dirt. I set it outside and pretty much forgot about it. It was a rainy season, and to my (happy) surprise, at the end of June, I found the pot with about 3 inches of plant, stems and leaves, attached to the potato, which was now showing above the soil. I excitedly dug a hole in the ground near a fence row, of a neighboring cow field. Having watered off and on over the past few months, in addition to occassional rain water, my plant has grown so far to a height of about 15 inches tall. Not very bushy, however, it has branched off into at least 5 stems. I have not yet seen any flowering. I have not used any of the above ammendments ...sulfer, manure, or anything. The spot I chose did have previos horse manure at one point lol. I guess my question is... Is it possible, that from little or lack of care, I may be blessed with any potatoes? Should I even attempt to dig up, and have I allowed enough time? What is the monthly time frame from start to harvest? The stems have remained firm, and freen. A bit leggy, and are now growing low. They also, have been in full sn here in North central TN. Being a beginer gardener, I assumed sun was a good thing, but now have learned from this board, for potatoes, sun is not so good. Maybe a little too late I suppose!?

Due to space constrictions on my balcony, I decided to pull my Kennebec potatoes earlier than what is recommended. The plants had already flowered a few weeks ago (I even got a few potato fruit that I will try to save the seed from) and the foliage had just begun to brown/die back but definitely wasn't dead. I ended up with about 30 or so potatoes of varying sizes. I'm unsure how to store them because I'm assuming they're not "new" potatoes, nor are they fully mature potatoes. What would you recommend?

I live in Louisville KY and have started planting a lot of (mostly large - like half-barrel ) containers. Had tomatoes for several years and these did well. This year I expanded. I had a bunch of russet taters that sprouted in the pantry so I decided for giggles to plant them in a half-barrel in May, in potting mix and compost in a 5" deep layer at the bottom. Drain holes are 1.5" above bottom, to retain water through our hot summer days. As they grew I added peat moss and some commercial bagged compost until the barrel is full.

Summer this year has been milder than most - only two days so far above 90F (32C); mostly in the 80's (27-32C). I've got a nice crop of spindly 3'+ vines, but from what I am reading here, I may not have (m)any tubers due to the temperature of the soil, which I have not measured yet. I haven't seen any (or maybe just a very few) flowers. I have kept the soil nice and damp through the whole season.

So I have a few questions:
1) what is the ideal and what is the limiting soil temperature range(s) for common barieties of potato (russet, white/Idaho, red-skin, yukon gold, etc as seen in my local chain grocery store)? Are there any varieties that are higher-temperature tolerant and easy to grow?
2) if I don't have (m)any spuds soon, can I just leave what I do have in the pot to start itself over whenever they choose?
3) since these were grocery-store potatoes which may harbor untold diseases, I gather that at the very least I should not plant potatoes (or any Solanaceae crops) for at least 4 years in this pot. What kind of diseases are we talking about - what are the symptoms so I can decide if I do (and where can I read up on potato diseases)?
2) If I have some of these diseases, it begs the question of what the commercial growers do, since they are monocultural operations with less opportunity for rotation? Hefty chemicals?
3) If potato diseases are so rampant, how does anyone produce disease-free seed-stock tubers of a true variety?
4) And finally, a story with a question:
My dad grew up in Hartford Connecticut during the Great Depression. Sometime (I never asked when) they would lay down a 6" layer of compost on the driveway, plant potatoes, and add dead leaves as the vines grew to keep the tubers covered. The pile may have gotten to 2' or higher. Winter came, snow covered the pile, and for dinner his mom would send him out to stick his hands into the (unfrozen, apparently due to the insulation of leaves and snow) pile and fish out enough potatoes for the family. Has anyone else ever heard of this? When do you suppose they planted? What variety(ies) might they have used? For reference, the first frost was usually the 3rd week of September, and hard freezes came by late October. Winter lows were as cold as 0F in January-February, but mostly 15F and above until then.

I had a lot of potatoes gone to seed so I put them into pots they have grown to about five feet but also growing from the stem are a few bunches of what looks like small green tomatoes can you tell me what it is?

Hya.This my first time growing potatoes.Some of my crop has produced seec balls on the top leaves.Is this normal and what do I do next? Tx for any help.