JRmom - Garden is in!

[JRmom]

I tried potatoes in the wire cages this year... dismal failure. Not sure what went wrong (they were growing great, I kept adding more soil as they grew, and then the plants all died), but I'll try again next spring. I did get one teensy potato, about the size of a grape.

 

[mrscoyote]

I had epic fail with potatoes too

 

[Wifezilla]

Another potato failer here. The only plant that is still alive is the one I put in the ground. The container taters are toast.

 

[savingdogs]

Well gosh, I feel all successful with my yummy potatoes I am cutting up in a few minutes for dinner.

You guys make me feel like a .....gardener!

Since almost everything else in my garden was a dismal failure, it is nice to have one thing work out. I'm thinking I should get the rest of them dug up before it turns rainy and they get mushy.

 

[JRmom]

Well gosh, I feel all successful with my yummy potatoes I am cutting up in a few minutes for dinner.

You guys make me feel like a .....gardener!

Since almost everything else in my garden was a dismal failure, it is nice to have one thing work out. I'm thinking I should get the rest of them dug up before it turns rainy and they get mushy.

Did you grow them in a container? If so, please share your secrets of success! I kept adding compost and soil to my baskets and I'm thinking they stayed too wet, even with just once a week watering. Maybe straw (low grade folks!) will be a better option?

 

[savingdogs]

We stacked the tires one-tire-high and filled them with compost from the goat yard. After that sat about a month, we planted the potatoes. I didn't have straw but we bought cheap hay so I stuffed the tires with that. At first we didn't think they were sprouting (I used organic store potatoes, not "seed" potatoes) and so we really didn't water much. Finally they started to sprout and I added a second tire and then just once during the growing season, I added hay again, kind of stuffing it around the base of the plants to help keep them upright. I was watering about once a week when it was cool, and then about every third day when it was hot out. Then to harvest, I noticed one potato plant container looked pretty done, and it was the easiest thing to roll the tire off and grab the plant, and then roll the second tire off and grab the taters. Next year I'd try to be more attentive to adding tires and straw and perhaps have a better harvest. We had them for dinner last night and now Hubby wants to collect a lot more tires!

 

[sunsaver]

Potatoes like a lot of potash and phosphate. Compost and manure should not be added because the potatoes will be small and/or covered in potato scab. A mixture of sand and hay is a great way to grow potatoes.

 

[savingdogs]

Well mine grew great right outta that goat manure.

It was well composted.

 

[FarmerJamie]

My potatoes, the few hills I've dug up, had large tasty potatoes and no disease. Lot's of chicken poo compost to start with and a nice side-dressing before I started hilling them.

If you have a heavy clay soil soil, composted poo is the best way to amend the soil.

 

[JRmom]

Potatoes like a lot of potash and phosphate. Compost and manure should not be added because the potatoes will be small and/or covered in potato scab. A mixture of sand and hay is a great way to grow potatoes.

I'm thinking you may be right... for our southern climate. Our sand here has loads of phosphate in it, so I'll try your method next spring. I still think the baskets may have stayed too wet. The sand/straw will allow them to dry out between waterings.