All the Dirt on Gardening

Dee Nash at Red Dirt Ramblings says to plant potatoes before St. Patrick's Day but it's still freezing and snowing out there so maybe this year is different. The GardenWeb forums have postings that help. This Garden Web posting recommends these varieties - http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2104363/potato-varieties-for-oklahoma Red Soda, Red Pontiac, Red Noland, Kennebec, Norgold, Yukon Gold or Norkota This 2.28.15 Tulsa World article by Bill Siever , Master Gardener, says " OSU lists several recommended varieties of potatoes in the fact sheet “Vegetable Varieties for the Home Garden in Oklahoma,” available online or in the Master Gardener office. Potatoes are planted from Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) to mid-March and it takes about 90 days until harvest, depending on the variety. Planting is usually done in shallow trenches. The seed potatoes are cut in pieces and are planted with eyes up and covered with 3-4 inches of soil. After sprouting, add more s...

  Sunlight-hours are becoming shorter with each passing week and now breezes are bringing down the first of fall’s yellowing leaves.   August is the right time to prepare for a fall vegetable garden that you can harvest for months. On average, August has 14-hours of daylight. June has 15, September has 12 and October has only 11 or 10 (www.timeanddate.com). The reduction of sunlight hours helps lower the temperature of the soil so seeds can germinate and plants can thrive. A few examples of the soil temperatures fall-planted seeds prefer for germination: Snap bean 75-80, Beet 75, Cabbage family including chard and kale 68 to 75, Lettuce 65-70, Peas 65-70, Spinach 70, Winter Squash 75-80. When soil temperatures are above those numbers, seeds remain heat-dormant.   Some seeds will sprout when it is too hot or too cold but the percentage will be low (See http://tomclothier.hort.net/page11.html ). The optimal temperature for seed germination is often provide...

Potatoes are thought to originally be from Peru because pictures of them are on ancient pottery from the area. They were prepared for storage by stomping on them and drying them for future use. Potatoes came to North America from Europe in the 16th Century. Today, each American eats 65 pounds of potatoes every year. In our area, potatoes are a cool season crop grown in spring and harvested in summer. Since well-drained soil is important to prevent rotting, small crops can be grown above ground in containers layered with straw, compost and soil. Buy seed potatoes in February, so you have time to prepare them for planting. Planting time is between Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day, depending on the weather. One expert recommends waiting until it is warm enough for dandelions; another says plant when it is 50-degrees. John Harrison of Harrison Fruit Stand said that potatoes can rot in a heavy spring rain. "I don't plant mine until March," Harrison said. ...