~MORE IDEAS FOR POTATO GROWING --- TOWERS....?????? ~

[Hattie the Hen]

I have been thinking about going back to growing potatoes again, probably starting next year. My brain has been examining the scheme for weeks now, as I planted up my raised beds; they were very late as it was so very cold this year with our last frosts in the first week of June.......

I would like to grow them in a very confined area but not in wire mesh or netted container as I live on a very windy hill so they would dry out too fast & dessicate the plants. Whatever construction I choose has to be one I can manage to build myself & because I am a 'scrooge', cost as little as possible.......!!

So I went a-wandering through the the byways of the gardening internet & came up with these semi-related ideas.

http://henandharvest.com/?p=586

http://lifehacker.com/5202849/grow-100-lbs-of-potatoes-in-4-square-feet

http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/food_security_2009.htm

At the moment I am favouring a version of the last article because it will fit in with the look of that part of my garden (not far from my chicken coops, which are home built or very second-hand & it wouldn't be far to unload the deep litter from two of them.....!!

Any other suggestions would be gratefully considered! :happy_flower

Hattie

 

[digitS']

Hattie, if you are trying to maximize horizontal ground space by going vertical, I think you are on a good track. I have suggestions but they may not quite be confirmation of the idea that's behind many of these "potato box" efforts.

Despite my location, I'm no potato expert. The closest I got to them when I was farming was watching a neighbor grow "seed potatoes" in a nearby field. I farmed in the "wrong" part of Idaho . . . mostly, it is seed production around here - - as in, grain seed. I do know a potato farmer and one of these days, I'll screw up enuf courage to ask him what he thinks about growing potatoes in a box .

In the "lifehacker" article, I clicked on the link to the Seattle Times article, "It's not Idaho, but you still can grow potatoes." I think the author overlooked some things. First of all, even tho' Seattle is also in the "wrong" place, eastern Washington produces 8 billion pounds of potatoes each year. It is #2 to Idaho but 3 TIMES the production of the #3 state, Wisconsin. None of these potatoes are grown in a box.

Okay, the next thing these people seem to overlook is the nature of starch production in a plant, any plant. Photosynthesis is necessary for this production and most of that photosynthesis takes place in the plant leaves. If you bury the leaves and the plant must continuously grow new ones . . . it isn't a whole lot different than bugs eating the leaves and the plant putting its energy and resources into regrowing those leaves. We can't expect much production of tubers in that situation.

How would a box work if I went that way in my garden? I would allow plants to grow through the walls of the box. It would be kind of like a strawberry pot with openings at various places for multiple potato plants to make good use of deep, fertile soil.

Probably the northside would be plantless, perhaps not. Hattie, you live at such a far north latitude that the box would have a good deal of sunlight on the northside during the early morning and late afternoon hours. But certainly, the east, west, and south sides of a box could have plants spaced about as far apart as they would be in the garden, up and down -- as tall as would be reasonable.

. . . just an idea .

Steve

 

[lesa]

Oh, Steve, I really like the "strawberry pot" idea- I think that would work! I planted a row of potatoes this year, and they really are taking up a lot of space- you can't walk down the isles on either side!!! Vertical growing would be the answer...

 

[boggybranch]

Always in search of new ideas.....Hattie gets the job done. This is some REALLY good stuff, here.

 

[justpete]

I have three tower growing now. All wood.

I'll update when I harvest.

 

[boggybranch]

Just got done cutting the wood pieces for the tower. Looks like a storm moving in. Gonna wait until tomorrow, weather permitting, to assemble. I like this idea MUCH better than the traditional way of planting. Gonna give it a go for the fall crop.

 

[digitS']

The idea with hilling is partly that the new potatoes grow above the seed piece. They can show up right on the soil surface, turn green and be unusable. It is the exposure of the tuber to sunlight that causes the problem. You don't want your potatoes to "pop" right out of the ground.

The trick, I imagine, with growing the plants thru the sides of the container would be to overcome the tendency of the shoots to grow straight up from the seed piece. Perhaps the easiest way is to allow the shoots to do that and just step back the container.

And, who was it who was using a recycled chest of drawers for plants? One of these planters reminded me of that: http://www.urbangarden.bz/productlist.html

Steve

ETA: If I was using tires to grow potatoes, I don't even think I'd try to get them to come up thru the top. Holes could be cut thru the upper sidewalls and the entire stack of tires could be turned into a green tower from top to bottom.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Steve,

Thank you so much for all your suggestions........my mind is a-buzzing now.....I need a peaceful day in the garden to think all this over.......it takes me a while nowadays to come to a decision & a lot longer to execute it.....! However I do have two sets of 1960's stacking drawers which I might be able to experiment with.........Hmmmmmm.....my old brain is audibly whirring. [ ******It is not a perfect time for that as it's a few minutes before midnight here & I surely need my beauty sleep.....!!! ]

What I really want to do is go outside & play around A see i I can make it work.........................But I think my neighbours might think I had finally flipped! So I will sit here & cogitate.............I might be up for a while!!! Well it looks like I might be growing myself a few' tatties' for Christmas this year. I have some potatoes that accidentally chitted so I could use them for the experiment......Soil is what I need.......Have't got enough........Hmmmmmm!.........Delivery.......???? I only hope I have the energy in the morning. I worked outside solidly from 9am this morning till 4.15pm....the time just flew by. All my peppers & eggplants are potted up, about 40 plants. I fed & watered everything first thing, then potted up & then planted out herbs & celery, sowed small patches of salad-ings in the gaps. I put up supports for my cucumbers & squash etc. & found more twiggy supports for my "Carouby de Maussane mangetout peas as they are getting even taller than they did last year; the flowers are just beginning to open. I love them as they are such strong growers & seem to love my conditions & stand up well to the heat too. It has been in the late 70*'s F>> 80*'sF these last couple of weeks. :watering


Thanks everyone for your support & advice . I will let you know how it goes.

:weight Hattie :weight

 

[ducks4you]

:I would like to grow them in a very confined area but not in wire mesh or netted container as I live on a very windy hill so they would dry out too fast & dessicate the plants. So I went a-wandering through the the byways of the gardening internet & came up with these semi-related ideas.
http://lifehacker.com/5202849/grow-100-lbs-of-potatoes-in-4-square-feetAny other suggestions would be gratefully considered! :happy_flower

Hattie

I read this article, too. I have a lot of space and NO TIME--I'm mowing one acre, maintaining the grass under 4 acres of fencing, and training 2 four-year-old colts this summer--so, for ME, this would just be more work. But, If I was limited in space, this makes a whole lot of sense. I've noticed, by perusing other TEGer's pictures of their raised beds, that many of us are using used wood for their gardening projects, liked raised beds, and the like. I imagine that would make this project more affordable. It certainly makes sense because you'll get multiple crops in a small space and the potatoes will never "see the light of day."