Do you grow potatoes?

Discussion in 'Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Food' started by lucidcuber, Jun 4, 2016.

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  1. lucidcuber

    lucidcuber New Member
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    Potatoes are probably the most efficient use of land there is, from a calorific perspective. I rare see people discuss potatoes here, but already I know a few non-preppers who eat a potato heavy diet and meet 1/2 of their dietary needs from what they grow in their urban (albeit large) gardens, just from potatoes and some side veg.

    Do you grow potatoes for yourself, and have you ever thought about potatoes as a survival food in this way before?
     
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  2. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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    Potatoes & Jerusalem Artichokes, both a good root crop. Yes we grow both.
    Keith.
     
  3. cluckeyo

    cluckeyo Well-Known Member
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    Potatoes are delicious and can be easily cooked over hot coals. They are high in calories and easy to grow. This indeed makes it an ideal survival food. They need good drainage, and nice fluffy soil, no rocks. Rocks will mess them up.
     
  4. OursIsTheFury

    OursIsTheFury Expert Member
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    One of my aunts grew potatoes at the back of her garden. There was this weird smell that always came from her kitchen, like it's literally shit everywhere. We found out that the freakin' fertilizer she was using was indeed her own shit, and that she had been feeding it to her guests for years. Needless to say, that was the last time we ever stepped foot in her house, and the last time I touched anything potato-based, because of that terrifying and scarring experience. What a way to be afraid of a tuber, huh?
     
  5. glreese

    glreese Member
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    My family had a really big garden. We grow lots of potatoes. During the winter, potatoes are a staple food for us. I think potatoes are a great use of land and a great idea for survival purposes.
     
  6. ToTang45

    ToTang45 Expert Member
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    I grew up on a commercial Potato farm, son in this way I'm absolutely set - especially with my Dad on the tribe. He now also grows Jerusalem Artichokes, which I have learned how to cook quite well as I'm getting them for free on the reg and in an absolute abundance. :)

    It's an easy crop to grow. Hell, throw a rotten one away on harvest and come back a few months later and see it's actually grown into a crop of it's own.
     
  7. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    I grow potatoes in old tyres and have done so for years.
     
  8. SirJoe

    SirJoe Expert Member
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    This year the winter was very wet so I didn't plant potatoes, I have some friends that planted them twice but both times they ended up rotting. Potatoes are probably the easiest thing to grow and only give you some work in the planting phase, after that it's just sitting back and waiting for them to grow.
     
  9. AnnaBanana

    AnnaBanana New Member
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    My aunt and I have grown potatoes for personal use. Although I have no experience in canning them, potatoes are one of my favorite foods. And since I have been trying an Atkins-like diet, its a food I miss very much.

    They can be kept throughout the fall and winter months as long as they are kept in a dark and dry space. If they are subjected to light, the spuds will sprout on the potatoes. Imagine opening up your cupboard to a mess of roots!
     
  10. ToTang45

    ToTang45 Expert Member
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    I think the bigger issue with Potatoes being exposed to light is that they go green, which in turn make them toxic to eat. They will shoot regardless of light.
    That said, Potatoes can seriously last a very long time, they just become harder to cook over time.
     
  11. hades_leae

    hades_leae Active Member
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    As much as I wanted to in the past, I did not like the fact that I have to wait 10 weeks for them to be done. I remember watching "The Martian" with Matt Damon, he had no choice but to grow potatoes, but they took so long to harvest. I just don't like to wait for food to grow, plus you may be growing a batch that will die within 4 weeks and you'll find out 6 weeks later when you go to check then.

    If the food can't be harvested within a couple days like eggs from a chicken, then I don't really think I want to deal with it unless it's from a in-house like aqua-ponics or something.
     
  12. crimsonghost747

    crimsonghost747 New Member
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    I don't at the moment but we used to have quite a large potato farm. Large as in for personal / family / close friends use, not a commercial one. In fact potatoes would be the #1 thing I'd start growing in a survival situation. They are very easy to grow as they require very little to no upkeep and they are very weather resistant. They can also be used in so many different ways and are easy to store in a way that will keep them edible all through the winter. And then in the spring you can just use what you have left to start a new harvest. :)
     
  13. HappyJackSlade

    HappyJackSlade Well-Known Member
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    The population of Irland doubled when the potatoe was introduced to the country. So yes it's one of the less talked about survival foods there is. I grow them as they are a hearty cold weather crop and once you plant them they grow like crazy. I also grow sweet potatoes.
     
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  14. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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    I am going to try growing them under straw this year instead of planting.
    Keith.
     
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  15. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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    We used to grow sweet potatoes in the Territory Happy, we ate the leaves too, but they don't seem to grow as well here in the New England area.
    Keith.
     
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  16. HappyJackSlade

    HappyJackSlade Well-Known Member
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    A pic of sweet potatoes I grew back in West Aus
     

    Attached Files:

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  17. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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    Excellent.
    Keith.
     
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  18. Mr Boots

    Mr Boots Expert Member
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    I find a few Comfrey leaves with the straw help them along
     
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  19. Mr Boots

    Mr Boots Expert Member
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    It was not really the main reason the Irish population was growing other factors like religion, social expectation, lack of protection (and long cold wet winters) were more key to our growing population to our peak in the mid 1800 a little over 8 million then with blight and our over dependency on the spud it became the main reason our population drop rapidly and over 100 years later our population is 4.7million just over half of our peak. potatos grow great in Ireland in our boggy soils to our clay soil the potato will push through most Weather conditions but while they need little work u do need to keep a close eye on them as blight can spread fast it not spotted and removed quickly even a bad potato in storage can wipe out reserves
    For me when trekking spuds are not worth carrying due to the weight to energy compared to other food sources
    When i am out padding in my canoe I always grab a bag spuds and tinfoil as nothing beats a baked potato with real butter as long as my back is not carrying the weight
    I plant spuds every year and a good crop rotation and a little tlc goes a long way
     
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  20. Bushdoctor

    Bushdoctor Expert Member
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    Try growing spuds in sacks put 6inches of compost in the bottom of a sack place 4 or 5 seed potatoes on it and cover with more compost as the leaves grow through cover them with compost until the sack is full then leave them to get on with it.
     
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  21. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    i do the same with a tire "tower", maximum 3 high.
     
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  22. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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    Thank you. We have comfrey growing.
    Keith.
     
  23. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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    When trekking on foot you can always carry dried potatoes.
    Keith.
    sJDQndVtXYj4kbi410QeBzPFh2VGKik1.png
    Home dried potato chips.
     
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  24. jeager

    jeager Master Survivalist
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  25. Rere

    Rere New Member
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    One of my aunts grew potatoes at the back of her garden. There was this weird smell that always came from her kitchen, like it's literally shit everywhere. We found out that the freakin' fertilizer she was using was indeed her own shit, and that she had been feeding it to her guests for years. Needless to say, that was the last time we ever stepped foot in her house, and the last time I touched anything potato-based, because of that terrifying and scarring experience. What a way to be afraid of a tuber, huh?
     
  26. jeager

    jeager Master Survivalist
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    I've grown blue tatters but no one would eat them but me.

    I LOVE Yukon Gold mashed.

    Red tatters are good also.
     
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