Garden Diaries, 2020

[Farrier1987]

I did the potato barrel, heard you could grow lots and lots and have some to give away. Same sort of as the potato bag. Planted them in the ground, six sprouted mothers in a circle. Put an old tire over with the sidewalls cut out. When they were up 6" pit in 4" dirt. Kept going up til another tire, and then up from there. Was over knee high . I harvested them yesterday. Got what I should expect from one normal hill planted the old way. Needless to say, I wont be doing that again. ]

Ready for harvest.

Start digging, nothing.

Top off, nothing yet.

Final results.

[labradors]

Good to know Farrier!

I saved some "small" tomatoes that come in the fancy bags because some had tiny eyes on them. Five of them survived until planting time. I planted them in a large flower pot and harvested just enough for two meals. Not really worth all the effort and watering .

Linda

[Killerbunny]

Our potatoes completely suck. Very distorted, small Russets. ALso due to the weather we think the voles had eaten many of the ones below ground maybe to get at water? Voles looking a lot less cute these days.

[Ontario Chick]

I always wondered about that theory @Farrier1987 , remember @Kenya was going to do that couple years ago, never heard how that turned out ?
Somehow had serious doubt it was a feasible way unless you had them on a balcony and wanted to observe miracle of one potato turning in to six?

[kenya]

I did it last year and was pleasantly surprised with the results, they were very tasty indeed but I agree with farrier not any different than planting in the ground. The only potatoes I got were right at the bottom, don't see the point of hilling them up so high. But I did get a fair yeld, this year I did it again and got a very poor yeld, maybe too hot this year I don't know.

[WLLady]

my russets were quite small this year as well. I think the uneven water and heat stunted the tuber formation....but they do taste good. I tried the bucket method once and actually did get quite the haul of potatoes...but i was short on garden space. I wouldn't do it again with the space i have now, but in a pinch....the trick is to start the plant, then let it grow up about 4 inches and then bury all but the very top leaves. it stresses the plant out to put down more roots, and thus more tubers. But you really do need to almost bury the entire plant....and several times along the way.

[Killerbunny]

Just dug the 6 seed potatoes we planted in the raised beds to try. Planted very late. They are GREAT! Lovely big pots. Nearly as much as in 3x 20ft rows.We'll see when we eat them if the middle is OK.

[KimChick]

Because we also have lots of tomato sauce from last year (with more made this year), we made ketchup with most of the last of our non-sell-able tomatoes. I used the Bernardin recipe; it has a nice flavour.

[LongCrow]

Just as tomatoes, potatoes are also determinate or indeterminate. Only the indeterminate varieties work for the multi layer approach. The determinate varieties do not require hilling if planted 6-8 inches deep.
There is not a lot of information on this available as potatoe seed companies do not release it as a rule. Here is a good link for varieties and further information.

https://www.gardeningdream.com/the-ulti ... -potatoes/

[Jaye]

Thanks for sharing the link, @LongCrow . I didn't know that there are determinate and indeterminate varieties of potatoes.