Growing taters

JL Ray · Jun 26, 2018

I am trying something different this year. I planted my Yukon golds in a 55 gallon plastic barrel cut in half. I drilled a few holes in the bottom. Started by laying down three inch thick straw. Sat the seed tater down and covered it with dirt. Tater came up. Covered it again except one little stalk. I have done this over and over. The dirt is now rounded 6 inches above the 1/2 barrel top and the tater is a foot and half tall. I have had no weeds at all, not one. Has anyone done this? I'm wondering if I'll have much yield or do I just have a neat looking plant? I dug down along one about eight inches deep and did not find a thing. I did notice the dirt was very warm. I have ten plants going this way. The ones that are in white plastic barrel seem to be a bit bigger that the blue barrels.

teddy52food · Jun 26, 2018

My BIL did that with tires. When he tore down the stack there were about a half doz. at the bottom.

ohiojim · Jun 26, 2018

sounds like a lot of cover on them taters

Greg1959 · Jun 26, 2018

JL Ray- the seed tater roots go down. the taters grow above the
roots. by placing 3 inches of straw in the bottom of the barrel,
the tater roots have little to no nutrients to adsorb from the
straw.

You'll have some taters produced but not much I suspect.

old · Jun 26, 2018

Neighbor I had years ago had a box filled with hay and he had planted his potato's in it and once planted he said he never had to plant again just had to keep adding hay. Said when he wanted a potato he would just go out pull some hay bac and grab what he wanted

da.bees · Jun 26, 2018

I have been growing potatoes for 5 years in 20% soil x 80% compost mix. I do it because black clay and warm temperature in N Central Tx isn't ideal for growing potatoes. I start in January with peels from the kitchen,half way finished compost mixed with soil and green grass clippings. I continue planting peels every 2 weeks in same beds until March. Some years frost kill's early plantings but when it doesn't,production is best. Green clippings are in bed to furnish heat and discontinued in late Feb. When I've used material that hasn't undergone de-composition,heat from composting seem's to be bad for growth,esp late in season. Plants are usually crowded in march so I thin them. If compost doesn't contain animal manure,I fertilze each time I hill.

JD Seller · Jun 26, 2018

I did some thing similar With tires. I started with a tractor tire filled with dirt. I kept adding smaller tires and dirt. I had a lot of potatoes in the tire stack. I just took the tractor loader and slide under the tractor tire and flipped the stack to dig the potatoes. Worked fine.

I did that a few years in a row. Then the Japanese Beatles showed up and they would eat all the leaves off in a day or so. I quit growing potatoes because of the bug pressure 3-4 years ago. I can buy them from a local fellow that grows them just about as cheap as I can grow them anymore.

I will second/third thinking your straw will not grow many potatoes because of a lack of nutrients

flembo · Jun 26, 2018

These are my Yukon Golds about 32" high planted in soil with a heavy mix of my own compost (a 20 year old brush and leaf pile) I hilled them on saturday and am just seeing blossoms today. I am experimenting with squash plants and peppers in a cut in half 55 gal plastic drum I am also trying Cucumbers in a large hanging pot with a roll of wire fencing gto support it.

Frank 41 · Jun 26, 2018

I heard that the local scum at Penfield,IL at I & I club grounds, damaged the potatoes that Ken Knight plants every year. I think an Army exercise like giving them a pair of scissors in 90 degree weather and have them start cutting the club's grass. The overseer would need my dad's buggy whip to keep their attention. Every day's work would pay for one potato plant damaged. That sounds pretty fair doesn't it?

Bspauld · Jun 27, 2018

My grandfather was born in 1890 and my father said he did this every year, so the idea isnt new, but it works

Growing taters

JL Ray

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teddy52food

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ohiojim

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Greg1959

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old

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da.bees

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JD Seller

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flembo

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Frank 41

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Bspauld

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