Potato varieties?

[Birdsonghill]

Do you get a better result, with 100% pure compost without other things in there? Or is it better to mix it with other things?

It does seem to do better with compost mixed with partially decomposed old straw. The potatoes do well in my potting mix of peat, perlite, compost, vermiculite, azomite and with ground limestone to adjust ph. I am generous with the compost with either choice. Using the potting mix, that is not a cheap way to grow potatoes with all the admendments purchased plus the cost of the grow bags that must be replaced every 4 to 6 years used outside. So, I favor the compost and old straw mix. Attention must be made individually with each bag to maintain plenty of moisture without waterlogging or encouraging molds or disease. Too much is maybe worse than too little but you get the idea. The compost several inches deep with a bit of old straw then the seed potatoes, more straw then compost and so on. More straw than compost as the layers add up and watering in the compost incorporates well enough.

 

[Birdsonghill]

So sorry , I forgot to answer your question about the compost. It will grow like crazy from a compost pile if you stick some in the top. Huge vines cascade down but yield is only a few oversized giants if you don't add more soil or materials to allow it to grow up into and through, has been my experiences.

 

[Birdsonghill]

About store bought potatoes , I agree that chitting them inside is likely a good idea. Sometimes , some will sprout fine but that is not the norm here. I sure don't want to work planting them in the garden and waste time on a failure. Seed potatoes are expensive to get here in small quantity for the home gardener but I usually buy some of the overpriced seed potatoes anyway. I can't help myself but to try and grow some of the grocery potatoes but success is dismal. The occasional success keeps me casting the dice, so to speak.

 

[nao57]

Thank you very much. Its wonderful to learn from you veterans.

 

[Birdsonghill]

This "veteran" learned from mistakes as much/more as from successes. Still doing both regularly. Just get out there and do it , is my philosophy for gardening. Even with a dim bulb you will find a lot of gems, if you open your mind and eyes to see the results of your work. More than my own work, it is recognizing what work natural processes do for us in gardening, along with the rewards for our hard labor that we are capable of , if we apply ourselves. I just wish I had someone else to pull weeds for me, now!