potato experiment 2012

[ShowMe31]

The great potato experiment is now complete. This first pic is of my set up. My dad had these trash cans that were really trash, the bottoms were worn through. He finished cutting the bottoms off and cut them in half. The harvest was super easy. I used a mix of topsoil and bagged compost from the hardware store. I lifted each tub and garden troweled the potatoes out. I only put 2 potato "seeds" in each tub.

Not a super great harvest, but not a total wash either. A few years ago I planted almost 30 pounds of potatoes and didn't even get a meals worth back out. The largest pile is what I think are Kennebac (planted in 2 of the tubs), the middle is the red pontiac (1 tub) and the last ones are the Irish cobblers (1 tub). I would like to try again next year with more tubs and possibly add another potato to each tub at planting. Hopefully next year we won't hit triple digit temps so early or so long.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

. . . Hopefully next year we won't hit triple digit temps so early or so long.

Yeah, me too. I think the weather this season has had more negative effect on my gardens than I can ever remember.

 

[ninnymary]

There is always next year. For the first time I planted potatoes in a 15 gal. container. I put in 5 small potatoes but messed up on the watering. I should have mulched them at the end and I ended up overwatering. The plants never bloomed and turned completely yellow. I harvested 15 good size ones and 15 tiny ones. I was very pleased and like you will definitely do it again next year. I plan to do maybe 3 containers and pay better attention to watering. I'm getting better in that area though.

Mary

 

[baymule]

Congratulations on your harvest. Gardening is always a learning experience. Sometimes we lose completely, but gain in knowledge. Sometimes we reap a marvelous harvest, sometimes just so-so harvest. Sometimes we do everything right and still get nothing. Sometimes we do everything wrong and the Great Vegetable Spirit has pity on us and rewards us in over abundance.

It looks like a great idea. You have gained knowledge and experience, plus had fun along the way!

 

[ShowMe31]

baymule you are so correct. It doesn't look like much this year, but I have a garden area under construction, the heat halted the project for this year. The little house behind my gator is the turkey house, next to that is the chicken house and then there is also a duck house. In the middle of it all is a 10x 12 greenhouse. Hopefully this fall the rest of the raised beds can get put in so I'm ready for whatever crazy gardening I want to do. My hubby calls the whole area my great big science fair project. I'm always trying out new ways to do things are different types of things in the beds that I do have in there. I like to shake things up.....alot. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose but all in all it keeps me from getting bored. LOL! Never know what next year will bring, oh heck if I get my little tiller back from the repair guy, never know what the rest of this year will bring.

 

[Adambelmont321]

Yeah, You got it right even my garden is having a bad effect in growing veggies and fruits and i am just working hardly to get this problem a better solution. Even worried

 

[elaineB]

Nice experiment!

 

[so lucky]

I didn't have a good harvest in potatoes this year either. I used the straw method, which did better for me last year. This season I probably harvested 3 times what I put out. The plants didn't grow very big, didn't flower, turned yellow and died early. I think next year I will plant them about 2' deep, then layer straw on top--kind of a modified version. The straw did keep the moisture in, however, so it served its purpose that way. The thing I like about using straw is that there are no weeds, and I use it around the garden for mulch later, untill it rots and is incorporated into the soil. I think I can blame some of my bad harvest on the fact that this area of the garden is new. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[baymule]

Haha, I can tell my DH that the horses are good for the garden, especially the potatoes! He says all they do is eat and poop. And I say I'll do the scooping!!

 

[Adambelmont321]

Haha, I can tell my DH that the horses are good for the garden, especially the potatoes! He says all they do is eat and poop. And I say I'll do the scooping!!

Lol at the reply that was not a good one though