GOT POTATOES!

[R2elk]

 

[R2elk]

My potato plant died so I pulled it out and dumped the bucket. Not great but better than nothing.

 

[HornyToadAcres]

I have to work with my husband's genius. lol. I asked about making some temporary raised beds out of hardware cloth. I was going to layer the bunny hay and dirt. He gets to thinking and the next thing I know he is talking about something that is off the ground and has a mini greenhouse on top. It's worth it because often his ideas turn out GREAT. But sometimes they keep things from actually happening. I don't know if you know anyone like that. Anyway, there were other weeping willows in the area - I think they put down really long roots or something. But ours is from a nearly continual micro-irrigation drip. That first one went like gangbusters. The second one I planted, my drip kept getting turned off when a renter in our little RV spot would use the hose or outlet and not turn it back to how it was. So last fall he plumbed all that underground for me so it is solid. So my poor little second willow and the third we planted should really go this spring. I can't WAIT. The other thing that grows very well here with micro is roses. No disease or aphids to speak off so with water and some fertilizer they take off.

The other factor is that we have 40 acres about an hour from where we live that we plan to move to some time in the next 2-3 years. So he likes everything to be modular and potentially transportable. I will revisit the raised beds. Sometimes we talk all the way around back to my original idea. I adore him and I can get whatever I really want, it is just some things that take a while. I do REALLY appreciate your ideas/advice. My thumb is only green in spots.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

For raised beds, you DON'T need to frame them up. If "waiting on your husband" is slowing you up, wait no longer, my dear! You can build your RB right on top of the ground, with sloped sides. When I do this, I lay news paper or cardboard on the sloped sides, and USUALLY cover that with flakes of hay. You can garden like this, and at a later time build your frame around the mound, if you decide to do so!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

My husband is also the brains of this outfit. He's the builder, tends to think it out long and hard, then builds with the best of the best, over builds. Me: mickey mouse engineering all the way. He is totally not a farmer, so I have to keep bringing him back to the beginning, explaining why: such a plan is a wonderful idea, but it totally won't work because of the actual behavior and needs of the animal in question, or the seasonal aspects of the use of a particular piece of land or building.

 

[Marianne]

NICE!!
We aren't having much of a garden this year. We have really alkaline soil, so it's hard to get decent spuds planted in the ground. The best spuds I grew out here were in straw. I usually grew Kennebec and a red potato that I can't remember the name of at the moment. Brain fart.
I tried planting grocery spuds one time. Very, very poor result. Lesson learned. Ha!

Soapy water took care of any potato bugs that I ever had. That and Neem (if I have to bring out the big guns) are the only two bug sprays that I use on our property.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

@Beekissed , You can have soil envy all you want. My sandy loamy garden soil came at a very steep price. We did some major clearing (before the LAST horror job) and had the fill brought in. So, we paid a LOT of money for that sandy loamy garden! Most of the native soil here is clay and boulders/rocks/shale. Requires a pick axe to break it up. Every time I work my garden, I thank God that He blessed us with that deep deposit of good soil in the best part of the yard (most sun, good location) so I could have a good garden.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

@baymule Your post made me laugh, and I can't wipe the silly grin off my face. It's splitting my cheeks. You know how your cheeks hurt when you smile so much????

They say: Never lime your potato bed. It causes scab.

They say: Don't put manure in your potato bed. It causes scab.

Reason being that potatoes like a specific pH, and lime or manure will send the pH out of that range. Apparently, you have shamed the "they say" crowd!!!!

 

[R2elk]

I couldn't get Purple Viking potatoes last year so I planted one in a 5 gallon bucket this winter.

 

[R2elk]

Thanks for the info about MM vs. PV. Tin foil would be the better choice b/c it will occlude all light, as well as reflect heat off the pot. I found that my MM were a good size, at least quite a few of them were. About 4 - 6 oz.

Purple Viking can get to the 1 to 2 lb. range. I was probing the potting soil in the bucket today and found one good sized potato about an inch below the surface. I did not do any further probing nor did I uncover this one enough to determine just how big it is. It appeared to be at least 3 to 4 inches in length.