The Universal Potato

[larry_stewart]

Here's my dilemma.

Its just about that time to get serious about planning the 2016 garden here in New York.

The space I have to grow potatoes, is limited .
I used to grow many varieties, but this year I'd like to cut back.
( Leaving more room for a variety of other veggies)

I know certain potatoes are better for certain purposes than others depending on starch content, consistency , how they hold up in the cooking process ...

Therefore, Im wondering what the best , universal potato to grow is, when Im limited in space. ( or is there even a universal potato)

My basic potato usages are:
Soups, stews, baking, mashed potatoes, potato salad


Larry

 

[mlyyates]

I have not grown potatoes in many years so there may be new hybrids I am not aware of. With that said russet potatoes are a good all purpose potato. Imho I think they would work well for all but the potato salad which I like to use a waxier (sp) spud for.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Russet Potatoes. Have you tried growing potatoes in a bag, if you got two bags you could grow two varieties. Much smaller foot print.

 

[ShellyCooks]

As Mlyyates mentioned, russets are probably the most popular potato, but I like red potatoes and Yukon gold. These are good for potato salad, mashing, stews, and roasting. I like their firm texture and the skins can be left on the potato for salad, roasting, and mashing/smashing. I just may try a few potatoes in my veggie garden this year. Thanks for the idea!!

 

[GotGarlic]

I use Yukon Gold potatoes for most purposes. I think they're in the middle of the scale.

 

[Andy M.]

I think you need two. Russets and Yukon Gold. The YGs are the most versatile. but the russets are the best for baking and french fries.

 

[larry_stewart]

Im sure I could handle two varieties ,
My problem is I have a weakness when I enter the garden store and see a dozen varieties.
I have to try them all, then I over crowd things, and I get a lot of nothing.
Same thing happens with me with tomatoes too.
I try to get only 3 varieties A grapes, something for sauce and something for slicing. next thing I know, I have 30 plants all over my yard or I just over crowd them. Wish I had an extra half acre to play with.

 

[ShellyCooks]

Be careful what you wish for, Larry! I have lots of room for veggies, but I have been invaded by gophers!! Now, I'm down to two large beds because we have had to dig out the beds (2 1/2 feet deep) and line them with wire! What a job!! Never before have there been so many gophers here -- maybe it was the drought here in California. Next year, we'll dig out a few more beds. I like to keep as close to organic as possible, so I don't want to poison or bomb the gophers. Digging and wire seem the only way to keep the little darlings out of the veggies!

 

[larry_stewart]

Be careful what you wish for, Larry! I have lots of room for veggies, but I have been invaded by gophers!! Now, I'm down to two large beds because we have had to dig out the beds (2 1/2 feet deep) and line them with wire! What a job!! Never before have there been so many gophers here -- maybe it was the drought here in California. Next year, we'll dig out a few more beds. I like to keep as close to organic as possible, so I don't want to poison or bomb the gophers. Digging and wire seem the only way to keep the little darlings out of the veggies!

Unfortunately , Im one step ahead of you.
had a mole/ vole problem.
had great looking plants in the morning, went to work, came home and they looked wilted. grabbed and pulled lightly, and out came the plant with chewed up roots and a small tunnel .
Then picked my potatoes , and each one had a bite ( or multiple bites ) out of it.

So, I too had to line the beds with wire, grow things in pots ....

Luckily I've acquired an outdoor cat, who has been a pretty successful hunter. But I still have to assume I have a problem, and have to take all precautions to ensure I have a decent harvest.

 

[RPCookin]

We had a mole problem in the yard last year. A few bombs took care of that. Pellets and other edibles didn't seem to faze them, but after the bombs we never saw another new tunnel. Much as I like most critters, it comes to pests in my lawn, I'm not going to get too weepy about them.

 

[Dawgluver]

Moles are carnivores, they don't eat potatoes, just disrupt them. I've given up on trying to get rid of them, we have an endless supply.

The potato culprits were probably groundsquirrels, they eat everything. We have an endless supply of those too. Along with rabbits.

 

[rodentraiser]

I was going to try to plant grass in my little yard when I lived in a trailer park, but then the raccoons arrived. They like to use their little paws and feel all over anything and they dig like the dickens. I became enchanted with them and decided the lawn could take a pass. Instead, I put a large plastic container out in my yard and kept it filled with water for them and would occasionally turn on the hose for them, too. So what's a little mud between friends?

I was rewarded with mamas bringing in their kits that looked so young they could hardly walk. How cute can you get? Eventually, I started throwing out a handful of cat food to them and then I made a giant bird feeder and had all sorts of birds in the yard as well. Then I had some red squirrels show up and a couple gray ones that would take a peanut from my hand. Even a possum or two wandered in and once a chipmunk decided to check things out.

Best neighbors I ever had.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would go with Red Pontiac and Katahdin, out of nostalgia, but any early red skinned potato and any late season or main crop white potato would be good to spread the potato season out a little bit. Nothing better than those first marble and golf ball sized red skinned potatoes cooked whole and drenched in melted butter!

 

[giovannadia]

Here's my dilemma.

Its just about that time to get serious about planning the 2016 garden here in New York.

The space I have to grow potatoes, is limited .
I used to grow many varieties, but this year I'd like to cut back.
( Leaving more room for a variety of other veggies)

I know certain potatoes are better for certain purposes than others depending on starch content, consistency , how they hold up in the cooking process ...

Therefore, Im wondering what the best , universal potato to grow is, when Im limited in space. ( or is there even a universal potato)

My basic potato usages are:
Soups, stews, baking, mashed potatoes, potato salad


Larry

In my opinion you should cultivate white potatoes to prepare the listed recipes. Absolutely yellow potatoes to prepare fried potatoes.

 

[ShellyCooks]

Oh boy, Larry, you, too, huh? I think the wire works best. I have several acres and in the old days we used bombs. That just moved the gophers away for awhile and back they came when the gas had gone. I'm glad bombs seem to work for you, Rick. My friend bombed all the gophers in her backyard and they all moved over to her neighbor. Needless to say, the neighbor is not happy! Here's to "gopher-free" gardening for all of us!!!

 

[ShellyCooks]

You're right, Dawgluver. Moles are carnivores and eat only meat like grubs, worms, etc. They create tunnels that disrupt plants, but they don't eat roots like voles and gophers. Voles and gophers are herbivores and eat plants starting at the roots. So, as you said, the potatoes were not eaten by moles, but rather by gophers or voles. Squirrels are also a possibility --- they run wild here, too, along with turkeys that peck at anything green!! It's a fight to the finish!!!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Max yield, little protection required. Place a circle of metal fencing over a piece of screen. Place the seed potatoes in place, taking care to space them correctly. Place a bit of straw against the inner fence wire to hold the soil. Cover the seed potatoes with soil. When shoots first appear, guide some of them toward teh fence walls to sprout into leaf-covered vines. Cover the remaiing shoots with another comple inches of soil. Repeat this until the potato tower is filled, and leafy vines are growing all over the top.
The underground part of the plant become all root and produce a tower of potatoes for each plant. The screen on the bottom keeps the critters out and provides adequate drainage. The leaves growing on the sides and top produce the energy to produce potatoes.
At harvest time, remove the screen and let the soil fall away from the roots. Harvest lots of potatoes from a few plants. make as many of these potato towers as you want, and with differing varieties.

Here's a link to a site that explains potato towers. - http://waldenlabs.com/potato-towers-and-open-source-innovation/

Bob Flowers

 

[CharlieD]

When I had mole problem I found one of the holes put the garden hose in it and open water. Few of them washed out, rest disappear. I know it's kind of cruel, but very efficient.
As far as potato, I'd go with Russet too. Some say that red is better for potato salad or roasted potato, but I like russet better.

 

[larry_stewart]

Mine was definitely a vole problem ( i saw my cat carry one away). We have had moles too, which did a number on the grass years ago, as it tunneled through eating the grubs. And, lucky for us, we also had a rat problem as well, which also may have added to the potato issue. But I've since used the wire mesh, and in some cases large pots. Worked out pretty good last year , just needs a bit of tweaking

 

[larry_stewart]

Im more than willing to share.
If they just took one or two potatoes and spit it among themselves, i would be fine. Heck, I'd even cook a few up for them how ever they'd like.
But to take a few bites out of every $%*&# one of them is just not right!!!!

First pic was 2 years ago, when i Initially had the problem.
Second pic, was last year, with my 5 or 6 varieties of potatoes. By this point, with the wire and pot method, I eliminated most of the vol/rat destruction ( except a few areas which ill take care of this upcoming year )
Third pic, is me putting my wife and son to work picking the potatoes.