Red Cloud Potato

Mahpíya Lúta (1822-1909) Born on Oglala lands in the Lakota Nation, Chief Red Cloud played a pivotal role in Indigenous and U.S. history: Military strategist and politician; Victor against the U.S. Army in the 1866-8 Red Cloud’s war; Negotiated the Fort Laramie Treaty establishing the “Great Sioux Reservation” in western South Dakota and Unceded Indian Territory in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado. After the Lakota were forced onto much smaller tracts of land, the Supreme Court ruled it illegal and ordered $106 million in reparations. Local Resources: PLDL: Red Cloud: A Lakota story of war and surrender By S. Nelson The heart of everything that is: The untold story of Red Cloud By: Bob Drury MTU Library: Red Cloud's folk: A history of the Oglala Sioux Indians by George Hyde Autobiography of Red Cloud: War Leader of the Oglalas edited by R. Eli Paul PLDL and MTU: Lakota America: A new history of Indigenous power by Pekka Hämäläinen
Red Cloud Potato Red mid-season potatoes released by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1992. Full sun, regular water, plant in 8’’ trenches 12-15’’ apart in rows 3’ apart. 2 weeks before planting set your potatoes in a warm bright space to begin sprouting. Cut the potatoes into pieces at least 2’’ square with at least 2 eyes each; plant eyes up under 4’’ of soil; once plant is 6’’ high, cover all but the top leaves with soil; repeat once. Begin harvesting potatoes once plants finish flowering. Gently dig to remove some bigger potatoes but leave the rest to grow. Harvest 2 weeks after plants completely die back. Seed Saving: During harvest save the best potatoes; leave them somewhere dry and ideally sunny for several days until green and then somewhere dark, humid, and cool for a couple weeks. Then potatoes should be stored in a cold (~40°F) dark, humid, ventilated environment until planted. During harvest, your plant may have produced small berries. Those contain seeds which can be saved just as you would tomato seeds. Seed potatoes decrease in yield every year as they accumulate defects. Potato seeds are disease resistant but the variety will not remain true to the parent plant.