Whilst playing a computer game it suddenly occurred that part of our
problem with growing potatos might be that we are starting with too
small a seed potato. Over the years, we seem to be harvest smaller and
smaller spuds.

what size seed potatoes are peeps using.

TIA

In article
<441a3a5e$0$1034$61c65585 [at] un-2park-reader-01.sydney.pipenetworks.com.au>,
Terry Collins <newsonespam-spam [at] woa.com.au> wrote:

> Whilst playing a computer game it suddenly occurred that part of our
> problem with growing potatos might be that we are starting with too
> small a seed potato. Over the years, we seem to be harvest smaller and
> smaller spuds.
>
> what size seed potatoes are peeps using.

You can get spuds starting in the compost heap from just a peeling, so most
likely this is not the problem. Have you had the potatoes in the same spot?

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"... if *I* was buying a baby I'd jolly well make sure it was at
least a two-tooth!"
Mary Grant Bruce, The Houses of the Eagle.

Chookie <ehrebeniuk [at] fowlspambegone.com.au> writes:
> Terry Collins <newsonespam-spam [at] woa.com.au> wrote:
>
>> Whilst playing a computer game it suddenly occurred that part of our
>> problem with growing potatos might be that we are starting with too
>> small a seed potato. Over the years, we seem to be harvest smaller and
>> smaller spuds.

So computer games do serve some use, apart from being an excuse to avoid
doing the weeding??

>> what size seed potatoes are peeps using.

There is an Australian farming company who achieved world fame (in the
farming world, not gaming world) by developing a technique for producing
TINY seed potatoes. You see, growing, transporting and planting the big
spuds is a waste of resources when an identical outcome can be had by
tiny taters. It's tempting to think that burying a big spud will give
rise to a plant that produces big spuds, but it's all to do with the
genes in the seed potato, not its dimensions. Really, it's yet another
example where size doesn't matter!

>You can get spuds starting in the compost heap from just a peeling, so most
>likely this is not the problem. Have you had the potatoes in the same spot?
>
>Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
>(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

Speaking of fowls, how are your chooks going, Chookie?
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

Chookie wrote:
> In article
> <441a3a5e$0$1034$61c65585 [at] un-2park-reader-01.sydney.pipenetworks.com.au>,
> Terry Collins <newsonespam-spam [at] woa.com.au> wrote:
>
>
>>Whilst playing a computer game it suddenly occurred that part of our
>>problem with growing potatos might be that we are starting with too
>>small a seed potato. Over the years, we seem to be harvest smaller and
>>smaller spuds.
>>
>>what size seed potatoes are peeps using.
>
>
> You can get spuds starting in the compost heap from just a peeling, so most
> likely this is not the problem. Have you had the potatoes in the same spot?

So long as you have an eye, yes you can, but what I am looking at is the
size of the harvest. A multitude of spuds the size of lima beans are
not desireable. I am wanting to increase the size.

OTOH, could be out soil just isn't good enough for good spuds yet.

Yes, but we do not grow successive lots in the same spot.


>

In article
<441cca4e$0$1039$61c65585 [at] un-2park-reader-01.sydney.pipenetworks.com.au>,
Terry Collins <newsonespam-spam [at] woa.com.au> wrote:

> > You can get spuds starting in the compost heap from just a peeling, so most
> > likely this is not the problem. Have you had the potatoes in the same spot?
>
> So long as you have an eye, yes you can, but what I am looking at is the
> size of the harvest. A multitude of spuds the size of lima beans are
> not desireable. I am wanting to increase the size.
>
> OTOH, could be out soil just isn't good enough for good spuds yet.
>
> Yes, but we do not grow successive lots in the same spot.

I'd be thinking it's a food or water issue, then.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"... if *I* was buying a baby I'd jolly well make sure it was at
least a two-tooth!"
Mary Grant Bruce, The Houses of the Eagle.

In article <060320000093517.20Mar06$rookswood [at] suburbian.com>,
John Savage <rookswood [at] suburbian.com.au> wrote:

> Speaking of fowls, how are your chooks going, Chookie?

Very well! Rusty took to hiding her eggs for a while, but as she made her
nest in an obvious spot it didn't last very long. I think she also stopped
laying for a few days, until she'd popped out another double-yolker. They are
*huge*. I've had two children, but looking at those eggs makes my eyes water
in sympathy!

The googs are wonderful and an almost psychedelic yellow. Yum!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"... if *I* was buying a baby I'd jolly well make sure it was at
least a two-tooth!"
Mary Grant Bruce, The Houses of the Eagle.

g'day terry,

as far as my experiences go size of the seed spud seems not to matter, as
you can successfully grow good crops from merely peeling the budding eyes
off of the sprouting potatoes. try to get your growing stock early say in
februaury then put them in open egg containers to keep them aopart ina cool
dry and dark place until they grow good long sprouts before planting this
gives a slightly quicker crop, a trick i learnt watching a doco' on spud
growing in the jersey islands.

for me success seems to depend on winter being cool enough and long enough,
and getting enough water to them through the growing period.

might be that you may have to source varieites better suited to your
conditions?

http://www.users.bigpond.com/gardenlen1/

len

snipped

gardenlen wrote:

> might be that you may have to source varieites better suited to your
> conditions?

Well, I'm open to suggestions. Over the years we've purchased some stuff
from Diggers Club and been given store brought sprouters (buy 40kg and
throw 10kg out because they have sprouted neighbour)

Varieties that I can find the packets for are Pink Eye, Toolangi Delight
and Desiree. I think there was at least another two.

I think it is Desiree that is the only one to survive and provide
on-going stock.


Does anyone have any experiences with the comparative effects of
chicken, cow or mushroom compost on spuds?

gardenlen wrote:


> http://www.users.bigpond.com/gardenlen1/
>
> len


Wow! I'm SO impressed with your list of plants, Len and quite a lot
jealous, too! Well, well done.


L

terry,

i tend to grow only sebago's and pontiacs up here they do the best for me.
also we don't get a big choice that is what locally is on offer so that is
what we grow.

len

http://www.users.bigpond.com/gardenlen1/
snipped

thanks linda,

now we have moved we gotta start all over again.

len

http://www.users.bigpond.com/gardenlen1/

snipped

gardenlen wrote:
> thanks linda,
>
> now we have moved we gotta start all over again.
>


Yes, I actually wondered why on earth you'd want to move from such a
wonderfully created eden. Or was it a case of 'having' to move?

Some people though, I guess, actually yearn the challenge of facing
themselves with massive projects. I feel I'm just starting to get too
old for it meself even though we've only recently moved into a new
place. A new place (very small acreage) with no garden, no nuthin' on
half of it which is totally cleared but with brilliant soil. The other
half is lovely native bushland I won't have to do anything with.

I really want to get started on it but... well, I wish the enthusiasm of
youth had stayed with me just a little longer. Very good luck to you
with your new place and I hope it ends up even better. And then stay put!

L

g'day linda,

yes it was a case of having to very very long story but, it related to
health conditions within the team and other issues.

but another family is the big winner out of all land sold up ther they got
about the best affordable, lots of garbage land on the market and lots and
lots of folk just way to naive with head in clouds about what constitutes
land good or otherwise, they get caught by agent jargon, and of course in
short time lots of them try to bail out and they affect the capacity for
anyone with good land to be able to sell.

len

snipped

"gardenlen" <gardenlen [at] hotmail.com> writes:
>now we have moved we gotta start all over again.

Hi Len. Sorry to hear about the forced move; it is daunting to have to
start all over again. But did you stay in your former place long enough
to see the garlic enterprise pay dividends?

And just gotta ask this one: did you get to keep the loo??
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

Terry,
If you keep using the smallest spuds for next years seeds, you may be
performing some form of natural selection, and as mentioned elsewhere, the
genetic come into play. Taking the smallest ones for one generation might
not have much impact but if you keep taking the smallest of the small, you
could be going down hill.

I agree its not the 'actual' size of the seed that matters, but if you are
selecting the spuds with the genetic make up to be the smallest of the bunch
then the result will be small spuds.

Try getting some new certified seed and growing them alongside your own seed
and compare the results.

Cheers,
Geoff

"Terry Collins" <newsonespam-spam [at] woa.com.au> wrote in message
news:441a3a5e$0$1034$61c65585 [at] un-2park-reader-01.sydney.pipenetworks.com.au...
> Whilst playing a computer game it suddenly occurred that part of our
> problem with growing potatos might be that we are starting with too
> small a seed potato. Over the years, we seem to be harvest smaller and
> smaller spuds.
>
> what size seed potatoes are peeps using.
>
> TIA