Advise needed on planting potatoes in plastic 55 gallon drums

[setter4]

Please explain what you mean by "hot caps. I am using gallon plastic jugs with the bottoms cut off at cloches over plants. Is it the same thing?

Yes, same idea here.

Milk jugs work great!!!

My DH drinks loads of tea in gallon jugs so I have been stocking up all winter. lol

 

[smom1976]

I would think that if you were going to make it movable.. I would put castor wheels under it.. the amount of dirt that mine will hold it will be VERY heavy..

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I am not planning on using dirt. You can get the same results from using hay/straw with a lot less weight. You just have to do a little feeding.

A 2 wheel dolly does wonders too!

 

[vfem]

Hmmm....

I've convinced hubby to do that cage for these. I'm thinking of putting the cage in a kiddie pool in the garden area. So when its time to harvest I just untwist my wire ties and let the dirt and potatoes fall into the pool. Then I can turn in compost and chicken poo over the winter and reuse the dirt next year.

I'm cutting up the potatoes today. Is it ok to let them dry up and 'scab' in the house? Or do they need to dry in the sun? Would a grow light help the process?

 

[smom1976]

OH WOW what a neat idea the kiddy pool.. those things are just awsome!! I used one that had a crack in the botton for a brooder.. worked great as soon as they were big enough to jump out they went to the coop..

Dont forget to put some holes in the bottom to let the water drain out..

 

[kellygirrl]

The explanation I have waited my whole potato growing life for is on this thread (if I copied it right ).

http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15350&page=4&highlight=potatoes

Someone gives directions how to keep potatoes productive as they grow, through hilling or tower method. I would copy it here but I don't know protocols.

Okay, I'm going to quote this part:

...constantly hill the plant so that only 3 or 4 leaves are ever exposed, the underground stem will continue to produce stolons. Do that over a 6-week period with tires and you could conceivably end up with 2' of tuber production. Miss several days early and allow the true stem to develop and you would probably find 2' of nothing but stem.

 

[vfem]

The explanation I have waited my whole potato growing life for is on this thread (if I copied it right ).

http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15350&page=4&highlight=potatoes

Someone gives directions how to keep potatoes productive as they grow, through hilling or tower method. I would copy it here but I don't know protocols.

Okay, I'm going to quote this part:

...constantly hill the plant so that only 3 or 4 leaves are ever exposed, the underground stem will continue to produce stolons. Do that over a 6-week period with tires and you could conceivably end up with 2' of tuber production. Miss several days early and allow the true stem to develop and you would probably find 2' of nothing but stem.

I saw this link on that thread and wanted to share it here... awesome pictures!!!

http://www.durgan.org/2008/July 2008/18 July 2008 How Potatoes grow/HTML/

 

[kellygirrl]

Thanks vfem, for posting a proper link. I don't know how to do stuff yet, except maybe GROW POTATOES finally!

 

[vfem]

Thanks vfem, for posting a proper link. I don't know how to do stuff yet, except maybe GROW POTATOES finally!

This will be my first try this year too. I'm not expecting amazing results. Hopefully I will have enough to have an end of summer baked potato or 2 at a BBQ.

 

[kellygirrl]

Well this will be my third time trying a potato tower. I get about as many potatoes as I started with. THIS time, I'm gonna add dirt or mulch every day to keep the underground stolons from becoming a stem, allowing four leaves, no more above ground, and in 6 weeks have TWO FEET of potatoes in the tower. That's what he says, an' I'm gonna find out. And I'm still going to try an alleged variety of perennial purple potato in the ground. Happiness is the next gardening season, as you imagine it in March.