Odd question about poatoes versus tomatoes

[Jeannine Anne]

I don't know about anyone else but I deliberately grow tomatoes with different maturity dates, however I start them all at the same time . I then have earlies first, then midseason ones and lates,so I have a continuous supply all year. it works well for me.

Potatoes also come as earlies, mids and lates yet planting suggestions are to plant late season ones late etc. This makes no sense to me. I have grown spuds for years as did my parents before me without questioning the reason but would it not make more sense to plant them all at the same time so they mature at different times throughout the season. or is there a specific reason I simply have never asked before. Why plant the longest growers last?

I think about this every year but still continue to plant at different times....why?

Just thinking out loud.

[karstopography]

I try to transplant all my tomatoes at the same time, generally around the middle part to the end of February. Each tomato variety that I have grown more than one season has its own sort of timing on Producing. Some come on strong earlier and some are literally late bloomers. I like it this way. I’m not trying to can a bunch and don’t want an avalanche of ripe fruit all at once.

Seed potatoes, once they show some signs of life, get seeded, planted at the same time or within a week or so apart, providing I am within the county extension service potato planting window. The planting calendar dictates when I plant potatoes and I want my spring potatoes to be in as early as possibly.

With potatoes, I want to grow ones that are useful for us and taste good for what we like to do with potatoes. I guess I don’t really care when that are ready so much.

This season, I did a block or grouping of Red Norland and Group of Purple Majesty in one raised bed and a week later a row of Red Norland, a Row of Purple Majesty, and three rows of Kennebec in the ground. I have just finished harvesting the raised bed. The in the ground taters will come out next week.

Dark Red Norland are early, the other two are mid season.

[bower]

I've never heard of planting late potatoes late!
Here we have a short season and we try to get everything in the ground as early as possible. For sure no holding back on the late ones.
Perhaps with your long season in BC, they are recommending a late planting of late potatoes to extend your harvest to the fullest? If you've been doing it, how has it worked out?
I know I 'm thinking about planting earlies early!! In a bag or pot, just to get a fresh spud on my plate asap.
But planting lates late would never work for us.

[Tim DH]

Some lates are very late chitting. Pink Fir Apple springs to mind. Plant that early and it'll just sit in the soil doing nothing for ages, whilst the weeds and pests are busy! So, in my opinion, definitely better to plant that one late

[Jeannine Anne]

I try to transplant all my tomatoes at the same time, generally around the middle part to the end of February. Each tomato variety that I have grown more than one season has its own sort of timing on Producing. Some come on strong earlier and some are literally late bloomers. I like it this way. I’m not trying to can a bunch and don’t want an avalanche of ripe fruit all at once.

Seed potatoes, once they show some signs of life, get seeded, planted at the same time or within a week or so apart, providing I am within the county extension service potato planting window. The planting calendar dictates when I plant potatoes and I want my spring potatoes to be in as early as possibly.

With potatoes, I want to grow ones that are useful for us and taste good for what we like to do with potatoes. I guess I don’t really care when that are ready so much.

This season, I did a block or grouping of Red Norland and Group of Purple Majesty in one raised bed and a week later a row of Red Norland, a Row of Purple Majesty, and three rows of Kennebec in the ground. I have just finished harvesting the raised bed. The in the ground taters will come out next week.

Dark Red Norland are early, the other two are mid season.

Thank you, good plan, I am doing to differently this year, not sticking to the usual potato rules

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine Anne]

I've never heard of planting late potatoes late!
Here we have a short season and we try to get everything in the ground as early as possible. For sure no holding back on the late ones.
Perhaps with your long season in BC, they are recommending a late planting of late potatoes to extend your harvest to the fullest? If you've been doing it, how has it worked out?
I know I 'm thinking about planting earlies early!! In a bag or pot, just to get a fresh spud on my plate asap.
But planting lates late would never work for us.

Hi Bower, as I said it doesn't make sense to me I looked all over the net a couple of days ago and found exactly the same thing all over again. but this year I am going to plant all at the same time ,Doing it the approved way was ok but the very late ones were sometimes a risk.

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine Anne]

Some lates are very late chitting. Pink Fir Apple springs to mind. Plant that early and it'll just sit in the soil doing nothing for ages, whilst the weeds and pests are busy! So, in my opinion, definitely better to plant that one late

Hi and thank you, I do pre chit mine before planting. I aways have.

I am going to plant in a couple of days, all in potato bags, they can sit in the greenhouse till I am certain of the weather.

So this year I am planting all varieties at the same time for sure and am planting the following. The only one missing is my favorite spud which I would absolutely love to have but it is not here in Canada,is Charlotte. I do miss it so. So if anyone knows where I can get a few Charlottes that person will be new best friend.,

Anyway for this year


La Ratte
French Fingerling
Sieglinde
Alta Blush
Pink Fir Apple
Ballerina
Bintje
Irish Cobbler
Roko

And a couple of slightly different reds that my son grows every year but he forgot to give me the names. They are in the bags as of last week. I call them Red1 and Red 2, I presume they are late but we will see.

I see you are from Yorkshire, me too. I just looked on a couple of UK sites about planting and the instructions for spuds were just the same.

I love your Snowdrops, my Mums favorite flower and very close to my heart .I remember going out into the country as a child over there and digging them up in the green and bringing them home for her garden in Beverley. One time my Mother flew over to Canada in February and she brought a newspaper wrapped parcel of dug up snowdrops with her, They have grown and multiplied in my garden, and have moved a few times since '1980 but they are still flourishing well.

XX Jeannine

[Shule]

I'm not an authority on potatoes, even though I'm from Idaho, but I would suspect there's a good reason they say to plant them late.

I always used to try to get watermelons in the ground as early as possible, despite advice to plant them later, since from previous experience growing Sugar Baby (which is touted as an early variety) they normally seemed to end up being pretty late. However, I came to find out two things:
1. Sugar Baby isn't really early (don't expect other watermelons to be later than it); the only watermelons where I've had trouble getting a harvest because of how long they took to mature that come to mind offhand were Sugar Baby, Ledmon, and Moon and Stars; even Weeks NC Giant should be timely for most people; also, using black plastic can help with the ripening. Welll, I actually didn't have trouble with Ledmon, since fortunately our season was extended that year (but it was late, although it was also vigorous)
2. Above-freezing weather below a certain temperature can stunt or kill young watermelons, and really set you back. It can also do a number on seeds you've planted. Even if some sprout, the ones you plant later will probably do much, much better, and be earlier in the end. You want it to be pretty warm, even if it seems too late. It's not really too late.

Having said that, experimenting can be great (potentially).

[Tim DH]

Hi Jeannine,
A bit 'off topic', but you might notice that snowdrop is a yellow one, not the usual green. Its the best yellow seedling I've raised to date. Its also the molluscs favourite too!

Tim DH

[Gardadore]

What is the name of your yellow variety?

[Tim DH]

Hi Gardadore,
Thanks for your interest, (and apologies Jeannine for hijacking your thread!) I’ve not named that seedling, I think its a ‘work-in-progress’. My goal is to raise a large bright clean yellow. That seedling is only slightly larger than one of its parents, ‘Bill Clark’.

Tim DH

[Jeannine Anne]

Hi Jeannine,
A bit 'off topic', but you might notice that snowdrop is a yellow one, not the usual green. Its the best yellow seedling I've raised to date. Its also the molluscs favourite too!

Tim DH
[/quote

That is quite an achievement Tim,well done. Your snails and slugs have class.

XX Jeannine

[bower]

@Jeannine Anne I was reading up on this year's seed potatoes, I have a new one called "Gourmandine" and it turns out this spud is an offspring of your favorite "Charlotte".
The Gourmandine is sold by tasc in Alberta. Seems to be sold out for the year, but maybe next time?
https://tascllc.com/en/product/gourmandine-potato
https://www.plantdepommedeterre.org/en/ ... mandine-2/
CHARLOTTE X ESTIMA
https://lsa-potato.com/wp-content/uploa ... -lsa-1.pdf

[Jeannine Anne]

@Jeannine Anne I was reading up on this year's seed potatoes, I have a new one called "Gourmandine" and it turns out this spud is an offspring of your favorite "Charlotte".
The Gourmandine is sold by tasc in Alberta. Seems to be sold out for the year, but maybe next time?
https://tascllc.com/en/product/gourmandine-potato
https://www.plantdepommedeterre.org/en/ ... mandine-2/
CHARLOTTE X ESTIMA
https://lsa-potato.com/wp-content/uploa ... -lsa-1.pdf

I have never heard of these but thank you so very much for this info, It certainly looks just like Charlotte and maturity is the same too so I will be getting Gourmandine for next year..just maybe it may make a good substitute. A million thanks to you and couple of XXXX's too, you are very special to help me.

XX Jeannine

EDITED TO ADD..

Yeah I have found them online for pick up ,available in my local Canadian Tire store right here just a mile from me so many more thanks, I can get them picked up tomorrow and planted by noon. I am squeaking with glee. XX Jeannine