fishboy1 said:We want to try the stack box method this year.
Build a box out of 1x6 deck boards. Im doing them 32" square.
Plant taters.
When the plants get 8-10" tall, add soil so only 3" is sticking up.
Repeat adding box wall sections as necessary as you go up.
Supposedly the plants keep adding on more potatoes as you bury the stems and you can get 150# of taters from a 3 or 4' box.
We shall see. Not putting all my taters in one box and will be trying a couple different methods.
One box will get soil, the other box will get straw, and we will plant a patch "regular" style in the garden to compare results.
GRAMPS said:Wife and I like the red potatoes and will be planting them around the middle of March. We plant in raised beds and simply lay them on the soil that has been fertilized and raked and then cover with straw. When the potatoes are ready, we simply pull the straw back and pick up the potatoes. I read about this method about 10 years ago in an Organic Gardening magazine. Works well for us with no digging. After I have picked up my potatoes, I carry the straw down to dump into my compost bin. This is the hardest work of the entire growing season.
I like to garden but do not like the hard work involved in the traditional method that most folks in my area use.
GRAMPS said:Wife and I like the red potatoes and will be planting them around the middle of March. We plant in raised beds and simply lay them on the soil that has been fertilized and raked and then cover with straw. When the potatoes are ready, we simply pull the straw back and pick up the potatoes. I read about this method about 10 years ago in an Organic Gardening magazine. Works well for us with no digging. After I have picked up my potatoes, I carry the straw down to dump into my compost bin. This is the hardest work of the entire growing season.
I like to garden but do not like the hard work involved in the traditional method that most folks in my area use.
so you planted 40 and you think 90lb yield is good? last yr we planted 150lb and yielded 3,000 lbs. but we do the old fashion method of planting them and hilling them up.we have cultivators for the tractor so that helpsrelocatedduckman said:I'm glad i'm not the only one that uses this method. I used it last year.. Planted 40 lbs of potato's last year.. Got almost 90 lbs out of it all.. Never had a problem with mice.. But last year I had potato grubs/worms.. I culled the bad potatoes early and it helped.. I read that straw that came from out of area.. They can carry the larve from the bugs and they take well to potatoes.. So this season. I'm getting straw from my neighbor.. Hopefully i dont have the same problem.. I have twice the size of potato garden this year.. Gunna plant over 100 lbs for hopefully a 200% yield.. "Hopefully" lol.. I'm going to plant the last week of march.. first week of april.. Always great time.. I just started my lettice.. Hopefully it will take this year..
Just put mine in yesterday. I have ( 9)8'x8' box gardens and one of them is dedicated to potatoes. 18" depth of great soil, I put 6 rows in of red potatoes, with 8 seed potatoes in each row. Dug ditch, put potato in, covered with 4" soil and some composted straw. When the leaves pole thru straw I will cover with more soil and more straw. Will do this 3-4X and end up with a mound at each row. Harvest throughout the whole summer, a treasure hunt each time I pull a plant.Bump this old thread, when do you put your seed potatoes out? Growing up, the old timers in Southern Indiana did in on St. Patrick's Day
Thats alot of seeds to plant !! Do you cut up the seed potaotes or just plant whole?I'm glad i'm not the only one that uses this method. I used it last year.. Planted 40 lbs of potato's last year.. Got almost 90 lbs out of it all.. Never had a problem with mice.. But last year I had potato grubs/worms.. I culled the bad potatoes early and it helped.. I read that straw that came from out of area.. They can carry the larve from the bugs and they take well to potatoes.. So this season. I'm getting straw from my neighbor.. Hopefully i dont have the same problem.. I have twice the size of potato garden this year.. Gunna plant over 100 lbs for hopefully a 200% yield.. "Hopefully" lol.. I'm going to plant the last week of march.. first week of april.. Always great time.. I just started my lettice.. Hopefully it will take this year..