RE: Unidentified subject!

Hi Carol,

  Yes, I do hill my taters.  When I (attempted) to grow them in a container,
They grew, I hilled, they grew, I hilled.... until they were about 5 feet
tall!  I added a trash can with no bottom to the container to keep hilling.
I expected thousands of potatoes!  I confess I watered them with miracle
grow 'bout every 2 days, so I suspect that too much fertilizer made pretty
plants, no taters.  Now this year, I did the trench/hill thing in the
ground.  Teeny bit of fertilizer.  My plants are about 2 1/2 feet tall.
They've been in since mid march.  No signs of flowers, but the bottom leaves
are yellowing.  Is this what they should look like?  When should they be
ready??  Will I ever eat a homegrown tato??  Variety is Yukon gold. 

Thanks much!
(Beth MD zone7)

-----Original Message-----
From: Young, Carol K E [c*@iupui.edu]
Sent: Monday, June 14, 1999 2:10 PM
To: veggie-list@eskimo.com
Subject: Unidentified subject!


Hi, Beth, and all ''tater lovers!
In filing some old posts, I reread your (Beth's) post about not growing
potatoes successfully...great foliage, no potatoes. You mentioned growing
them in tubs, and this leads me to believe that they were not hilled. 
	If I understand potatoes correctly (and I believe I have had great
success), here's what happens: you dig a trench a foot or so deep, and place
the 1/4 (more or less) potato with eye in the bottom of the trench. Cover it
with dirt (eventually you'll have a hill instead of a trench, which is why
it's called hilling them). Let them begin to send up shoots. Add a little
more dirt (don't cover the leaves, just tuck the dirt under them). Shoots
grow more. Add more dirt. And so on 'til harvest time when the leaves begin
to turn yellow. The potatoes form along the stems in the cool dark earth;
the more you hill, the more room for 'taters to grow! Evidently, if you
don't hill, you just get a very pretty plant! 
	Even if you have luxuriant foliage now, and haven't hilled, I'd
begin to heap dirt around them. I think there's plenty of time for potatoes
to form.
	Any other thoughts, gang? Good luck, Beth!

Carol 
Indianapolis
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