Blue Potatoes

Dug up four hills of Blue Potatoes tonight so we can fix a huge batch of mashed potatoes for a picnic tomorrow.

Only got a hair under eight pounds, a decent hill should produce three pounds. But where they are growing is is the edge of the dead garden so that may have made a difference.

Really knobby potatoes, they will be hard to peel. I took pics but they didn't turn out decent, will take some tommorow when there is more light.

I want to bake a couple of these plus try some in potato salad as well as deep fried.

Mike

Looking forward to these pics. Do you have any of what the hills looked like before you dug into them?

Really like to see your pictures of your hill to as want to grow Potatoes next year and blue potatoes..sound great..put some chives in your potato salad always gives it a nice zing

I've tried a couple types of blue potatoes but never found them to have a real good flavour to them - but they definitely looked neat on the plate!

I've also never tried to grow potatoes either

I would be very interested in knowing what the texture and taste of the potatos are Mike.

To plant potatoes I usually dig a furrow about six inches deep. Put a piece of a potato that has at least two "eyes" or sprouts every eight-ten inches, then cover with dirt. When the plants get about six-eight inches tall, I rake dirt from the area between rows up around the plant, making a ridge.

The potatoes are ready to harvest when the plant is dead, though you can harvest them earlier if you wish - they spuds will not be fully grown though.



I'll let you know how they taste in a couple of hours!

Mike

I learned something today: Blue Potatoes lose their color when boiled. But they taste just like white potatoes do, though their skin is thicker. My son likes to fix mashed potatoes with the skin on.

Mike

Interesting looking taters, wordwiz.

I can tell you how to grow 80 square feet of potatoes in 16 square feet of footprint.

Use a Potato Tower.

2" x 4"'s
1/2" x 4"'s
24 screen door hooks and eyes
Enough soil/mulch to fill a 4' x 4' x 4' cube.
90 seed potato eye pieces

Build the cube with a "board-space-board-space" system with a space closest to the ground and a board at the top. Use 2" x 4" for the wall frames and 1/2" x 4"'s for the cross pieces.

Put 3 hooks on each side of each wall. 24 total.

Till the ground and plant seed potatoes 8 inches in from all four sides.

Add soil/mulch to next opening. Plant seed potatoes all the way around again.

Do this until you reach the top. Plant seed potatoes all the way across the top, in 8 inch rows.

Water each layer as you go.

Let nature take it's course. The thing will turn into a giant potato bush.

When ready to harvest, unhook sides, get out of the way, and let em fall.

Pick out the spuds.

80 square feet of potatoes in 16 square feet of footprint.

Tada!

That's a Tater Tower.