Potato planting

[Todd Ziegler]

My grandmother used to dig a really deep hole for the potato and she would pour water mixed with fertilizer into the hole, put some dry dirt back in so the potatos were not sitting on the wet dirt and then cover the potato. She always had good luck with her potatos doing it this way. She used water soluble kelp as her main ingredient and always mixed it at a higher rate than recommended. She said that once the potatos started growing they would make great use of the kelp. My question is, did she just get lucky in her method or did she know what she was doing? I use kelp through out the growing season and love it. Should I try her way? What is your opinion?

 

[Carol Dee]

Sounds like a lot more work them what we have been doing FOREVER in husbands family. Just hoe a trench about 6 inches deep. Cut seed potatoes into pieces with 2 eyes in each piece and place eyes up in trench. Set your heel on the one you just put in and drop the next one in front of your foot. Continue to end of row. Go back and pile soil into (and slightly hill up) over the potatoes. We have never added fertilizer and they grow just fine!
Here is the harvest from a few years ago. Planted a few pounds of REd and a few pounds of white!

 

[Todd Ziegler]

It always seemed like a lot of work to me too. That is why I never planted her way but I was just curious about how other people viewed it.

 

[valley ranch]

Hi Todd ~ how you doing ~ well ~ potatoes ~ you can't argue with success ~ plant them Medtzmyrs ( grandmother's )way ``` If it works ~ it works ```



Richard

 

[Todd Ziegler]

Hi Todd ~ how you doing ~ well ~ potatoes ~ you can't argue with success ~ plant them Medtzmyrs ( grandmother's )way ``` If it works ~ it works ```



Richard

Yeah I tried it that way with one row and I will measure the difference if there is any

 

[valley ranch]

Do you remember how deep the hole was ~ has it been a long time ```

 

[Todd Ziegler]

Yeah she would go down about 8 inches I think

 

[valley ranch]

That sound great ~ and fill the hole with fertilizer you said ~ many people do it ~ the other way around ~ plant potatoes shallow and bury the plant as it grows ``` I like Grandmama's way myself ```

 

[Todd Ziegler]

I remember her going really deep with the tiller and creating a hole that could be filled in as the potatos grew.

 

[valley ranch]

I think that's the way ~ we'll see what the difference is ~ if there is an advantage ether way ```