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[Beekissed]

To add more confusion to the spud growing season, this website list spuds as early, MID & late season!

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/potato/types-of-potatoes.htm

The 2 varieties I grew in 5 gallon buckets were the Yukon & either Red Pontiac or Kennebec. I picked them up at Atwoods. Last year I just used organic spuds from the store and had a decent harvest. They are some kind of red, don't know which one.

How did those varieties do for you in containers?

 

[henless]

They didn't do diddly. I planted each variety 3 ways. The 1st ones I filled the bucket up to the top with potting soil/compost. The 2nd ones I put about 5" of mix in the bucket then filled the rest up with straw. The 3rd ones I put 5" of mix in, then added more mix as the vines grew. I wanted to see which way they grew the best. Maybe I didn't do it right?

Last year I did it kinda BTE style. I laid them on the ground then covered with compost, maybe 3" deep? Then piled chips and straw about 6-8" deep. The spuds only grew in the compost, none in the chips.

 

[thistlebloom]

They don't have Red Pontiac taters where you live?

Maybe..I can't say I've noticed them. What I see is Yukons, Burbank Russet and Purple Viking.
I like Purple Vikings and they do well for me. Yukons aren't productive enough to suit me, and Russets are just too boring. I can buy those in any store anyway.

My favorites are Maris Piper, Magic Molly, Bintje and a variety of fingerlings. I can only get those by ordering.

 

[Beekissed]

We've been getting rain for many days now, so the nutrient flush from the gardens are really washing out into the lawn. Took a couple of pics of this...been noticing this happening ever since I started using wood chips on the garden beds. The only other place this happens at this time of year is over the septic leach bed!

You'll notice that the rest of the lawn and meadow is still winter brown...except right around the garden, the compost rings, the wood chip pile and directly around the house where I used wood chips on the flower beds. To me that speaks volumes about how much those composting materials of wood chips and now hay are constantly leaching nutrients when the vegetables are planted there each time it rains.

You really can't see it much, but this garden plot and the whole lawn/meadow is on a very slight grade, so the nutrients flow downward towards the house.

 

[henless]

I notice the same thing below my chicken pen. I have the orchard planted there, and the grass has been growing thick and lush in that area. I hope it helps my trees along too.

 

[Beekissed]

I notice the same thing below my chicken pen. I have the orchard planted there, and the grass has been growing thick and lush in that area. I hope it helps my trees along too.

It should! Locating my chicken pen and using DL has greatly benefited the peach trees located down slope from the coop. We had those trees for 20 yrs without a crop but that coop and the nutrients leaching out of it got them up and going, then I started putting wood chips, hay, coop compost, etc. around them to further that. We've had some bumper crops since all of that has started.

 

[henless]

Bee, I have a favor to ask of you. Do you have any pics of how you use your cattle panels with your tomatoes? I know some people plant them between 2 cattle panels, but I think you just use 1 panel, unless I'm mistaken. I'm assuming you weave them through the holes as the plant grows?

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, I have a favor to ask of you. Do you have any pics of how you use your cattle panels with your tomatoes? I know some people plant them between 2 cattle panels, but I think you just use 1 panel, unless I'm mistaken. I'm assuming you weave them through the holes as the plant grows?

Sure do! Just have my CPs zip tied to T posts and the maters woven through the squares as they grow. No need for tying and the CP supports all those heavy vines and fruits just fine.

I don't know that I have a close up pic of the maters woven through but I have pics of the CPs and maters.....not great pics but a quick search and this is what I found. I can't imagine using 2 CPs when one would do.

 

[ninnymary]

Bee and henless, I too do a similar thing with my tomatoes. But instead of using a cattle panel, I use the concrete rebar panels from Home Depot. My husband tied pipes at the sides to make them sturdier. I just weave the tomatoes as they grow.

Mary

 

[henless]

Thanks Bee! I was thinking that you just used 1 cp and weaved the tomatoes as they grew.

Mary ~ The rebar panels look very similar to the cp. What size do you use and do you remember how much they cost?