No Dig Potatoes

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Permalink Reply by Kathy on February 11, 2011 at 8:10pm

www.homegrown.org/video/grow-above-the-ground-potatoes-in

 

try this video - I found it to be very useful.  I haven't tried it before, I usually grow in one of my raised beds.  But space is tight this year so I'm going with this!  Good luck to all!

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Permalink Reply by Ellen Peavey on February 11, 2011 at 8:49pm

Heather, first you must have newspaper at least ten pages thick only the black and white print. Lay it down then wet it so it doesn't blow away next put the seed potato down then cover them with six inches of straw. as soon as they start to poke out cover again with straw, just leave a little of the top stick out, keep the rest covered. If you want potatoes just pull up one side and get your potatoes.

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Permalink Reply by Cornelia on February 18, 2011 at 11:49am

Green Upgrader has a wonderful article about growing potatoes in a barrel.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Sirk on February 21, 2011 at 7:14pm

I planted my potatoes Saturday. I think we get a little warmer over here in Swampeast Missouri than in the rest of the state. If your beds are mulched make sure you pull aside the mulch to let the soil warm. I didn't have much luck with no dig potatoes but here we have Bermuda grass, which was surely created by the Devil. I've grown potatoes in plastic trash cans. I've also surface planted them with a thick straw mulch, similar to the technique you all describe.

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Permalink Reply by Kali on March 4, 2011 at 5:41pm

I just learned about this fabulous technique as well!! 

A man from the farm was sharing with me his potato experience last year.. Apparently he went the reeeally easy route and simply planted some seed potatoes into a trash barrel filled with straw.  He had drilled some holes  in the bottom for drainage, kept it well watered, and voila, 20 lbs of potatoes.  Amazing!  I ran home to research and learned that for happier potatoes, it is recommended to lay them on an initial layer of mulch, before piling hay on top for growing medium.  The method that I'm going to try was to add 6" of straw/hay at a time, wait until you see some shoots poking through, then add 6" more.  I read you can build that up to two or three feet.  Additionally, if you have some way of removing the sides, you can harvest the earliest grown potatoes at the bottom while the plant continues to produce higher up.  So cool.  I'm not sure how to adapt this technique to my trash barrel dream, but I'm hoping to come up with something. 

What growing technique are you going with??

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Permalink Reply by Kris Boggs on March 5, 2011 at 8:57am

Mike, here is a link on Ehow  http://www.ehow.com/how_2222722_grow-potatoes-garbage-can.html I know its not the same as a wine barrel but the concept is the same. Im applying it this year. Good Luck

Mike Lieberman said:

I could've sworn that I just read an article on this. Can't remember where though. 

 

I only have a balcony and not much access to land, has anyone tried growing potatoes in a wine barrel? I've seen the posts about growing hundreds of pounds of them, but don't know anyone that's done it. 

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Permalink Reply by me on March 5, 2011 at 2:21pm

I'm really interested in this because I have nothing but rocks (almost) to work with.  This sounds great for potatoes but my question is do you fertilize, how often, with what, etc.  Thanks for any info.

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Permalink Reply by Ellen Peavey on March 6, 2011 at 1:29pm

I did the no dig method a week ago I didn't use any fertilizer, I put down a bunch of newspaper then wet it laid the potatoes on top cover it with four inches of straw and watered it. We have had rain for two days now hope the potatoes survive, waiting to see if anything pops up then will cover them with four more inches of straw. I have a yard full of rocks also the ground is really sloped, so I made a raised bed for the potatoes out of old fence post's that had been laying around. The barrel sounds like too much work for me.

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Permalink Reply by me on March 6, 2011 at 2:28pm

Thanks for the info, I'm probably going to put my potatoes in in a couple of weeks, weather permitting.  I'm definitely going to try them this way.  Last year I tried the bag growing and it didn't do well.

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Permalink Reply by Ellen Peavey on March 20, 2011 at 1:17pm

My potatoes finally came up and I covered them with four more inches of straw and watered them really good. A chipmunk came running out of the bed, hope he doesn't like potatoes. I have filled  four raised beds and planted in two, I also have four plastic circle I use as raised beds also. Our ground is full of rocks and heavy red clay and also sloped so it is a real challenge but I am up for it. Now that I'm retired it is my hobby the garden and the three chickens I have left. The woods  are full of  predators have lost eight chickens so far, put up a bird net over the coop now to keep out the hawks, hope to get at least four more hens at the auction.

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Permalink Reply by Cornelia on March 28, 2011 at 2:01pm

Here's a nice how-to on building a potato "tower" - good step-by-step photos, too!

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Permalink Reply by Ellen Peavey on March 30, 2011 at 11:06am

Thanks for the idea and the pictures. I have already did the no dig method and planted them on Saint Patrick's Day, they are all ready coming up and I covered them with four more inches of straw. Maybe next year I will try the potatoe  tower next year. I have every thing ready to go out in the raised beds if the weather would cooperate and stop raining. I live in north east Georgia really wet spring.

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