Neko-chan
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Container grown potatoes?
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Icu4dzs
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Till in all the sawdust you can find. It works great. Clean the chicken house and put that on top and till that down as good as you can.
Cow manure that is dried helps a lot. I seem to have a steady source of that since my girls like to eat!
Cow manure that is dried helps a lot. I seem to have a steady source of that since my girls like to eat!
Shiloh Acres
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Thanks SO much for all the suggestions. I think these will be most helpful, and I'm going to search for Ruth Stout, put out an ad for old hay, see if I can find sawdust (there's a mill not too far away), and get LOTS more boxes from a local store that lets me have them.
I'm still debating if I want to sacrifice my 55 gal barrels, because I have a number of uses in mind, but I SHOULD be able to get an unlimited amount for free. I will probably go ahead and set up at least 4 planters from them. I think I have 7 or 8 unused barrels at the moment.
I think I will dig down in a few places, deeper than I've dug so far, and see just what is there. I suspect there must be clay, since it holds almost like a shallow pond. I really WANT a shallow pond ... just not where I want to plant my garden.
I don't mind the hard work of turning it over and over and mixing stuff in ... but I should have started last year. I don't have time to do it now, so it's going to have to be done in stages over time. Getting SOME kind of garden in is a priority, even if I only prepare little patches as I go.
Time sure seems to have gotten away from me, and I put too much expectation in being able to have the work done with a tractor. Oh well ... on to plan B. Thanks so much everyone!!!
I'm still debating if I want to sacrifice my 55 gal barrels, because I have a number of uses in mind, but I SHOULD be able to get an unlimited amount for free. I will probably go ahead and set up at least 4 planters from them. I think I have 7 or 8 unused barrels at the moment.
I think I will dig down in a few places, deeper than I've dug so far, and see just what is there. I suspect there must be clay, since it holds almost like a shallow pond. I really WANT a shallow pond ... just not where I want to plant my garden.
I don't mind the hard work of turning it over and over and mixing stuff in ... but I should have started last year. I don't have time to do it now, so it's going to have to be done in stages over time. Getting SOME kind of garden in is a priority, even if I only prepare little patches as I go.
Time sure seems to have gotten away from me, and I put too much expectation in being able to have the work done with a tractor. Oh well ... on to plan B. Thanks so much everyone!!!
Marianne
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You really don't have to dig down too far unless you're trying to break up the clay pocket. Most garden veggies don't have roots that are really deep. And by starting with old hay or straw, leaf litter, etc on top, you'll be fine. I have never tilled, even when I planted on top of weeds, grass or crappy, rock hard soil. I just plant in the top layer that's at least 6" thick or more. Some root veggies like carrots, etc, will need an area that's worked in deeper.
The sawdust will lock up the nitrogen from what I have read. You'll be okay as long as you have some kind of poo or grass clippings to add.
The sawdust will lock up the nitrogen from what I have read. You'll be okay as long as you have some kind of poo or grass clippings to add.
Neko-chan
Lovin' The Homestead
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Is that last summer's crop, or what has grown so far for you this season? And if last summer, how many potatoes did you get from your 2 bags?Neko-chan said:
I never did get around to doing anything with potatoes this year. I knew we would be away for the month of September, and so didn't plant much of a garden at all.
And, referring to ShilohAcres post, my German MIL used to say that the way to break up hard soil is to plant potatoes! Apparently potatoes were often planted in new beds to loosen things up for the next crops.
Neko-chan
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Marianne
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Wow! 
I love spuds, fixed any way!
I love spuds, fixed any way!
SD Farm Girl
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I'm a little late in this post but maybe someone could try it for next year.
I saved all those bags that chicken feed, horse grain and cat food came in. The new bags are made out of a sturdy plastic that has netting wove into it for strength.
Cut some slashes at the bottom of the bag for drainage. Put a handful of straw on the bottom and then some good soil/compost and set your seed potato in and cover with more soil.
I used to roll my bags down and then as the plant grew and I added more soil, I would unroll the bag to make it taller.
By harvest time, just slit the side of the bag open and there's all your potatoes without having to dig. You don't cut up your potatoes with a shovel and you don't miss some still in the ground. I don't save the used bags because they get pretty sunbleached and aren't pretty for using again but if you buy animal feed, you will be able to save up plenty of bags in between seasons.
I also tried drilling holes in 5 gallon buckets. The potatoes grew but not as well as in the feed bags and they were a little more messy to get out having to dump the bucket, rather than just slitting the side of the bag open.
I saved all those bags that chicken feed, horse grain and cat food came in. The new bags are made out of a sturdy plastic that has netting wove into it for strength.
Cut some slashes at the bottom of the bag for drainage. Put a handful of straw on the bottom and then some good soil/compost and set your seed potato in and cover with more soil.
I used to roll my bags down and then as the plant grew and I added more soil, I would unroll the bag to make it taller.
By harvest time, just slit the side of the bag open and there's all your potatoes without having to dig. You don't cut up your potatoes with a shovel and you don't miss some still in the ground. I don't save the used bags because they get pretty sunbleached and aren't pretty for using again but if you buy animal feed, you will be able to save up plenty of bags in between seasons.
I also tried drilling holes in 5 gallon buckets. The potatoes grew but not as well as in the feed bags and they were a little more messy to get out having to dump the bucket, rather than just slitting the side of the bag open.
Marianne
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That's a good idea about using the feed bags. I have seen pics of people who grew tons of potatoes in containers of all kinds.
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