Potatoes and SFG

momstitch on 3/17/2010, 10:07 pm

How would you go about planting potatoes in SFG?
Martha

boffer on 3/17/2010, 10:08 pm

One at a time Potatoes and SFG Icon_jokercolor

jerzyjen on 3/17/2010, 10:14 pm

Take out the top 5 inches of mix and put aside. Lay in your potato sprouts and make sure you leave the little sprouts sticking up. Keep filling back up with ~~dirt~~ mels mix as the sprout grows. Harvest carefully. Thats how I did it with my fingerlings last year. I'm going to try the trash can method this year to see the difference.

Edited cause YIKES gardeners don't use the word dirt! SOIL - I'm sorry gods of the garden, please don't smote me

boffer on 3/17/2010, 10:16 pm

thank you Jen

SirTravers on 3/17/2010, 11:37 pm

I saw somewhere that tires make a good potato growing bed. As the plant grows you raise the level of the dirt and add another tire. At the end of the season you just unstack the tires and harvest the potatoes as you pull the dirt away.
If I were doing that SFG style I think I'd use as 2x2 planting scheme...probably in a corner of the main box. I'd add 3 wooden dowel pegs in the top of the base planter and make a 2x2 raised section another 6 or 12 inches high with 3 holes in the bottom to match the dowels. I'd continue that method of adding sections so I could raise the mix level as the plant grew. At the end of the season just unstack the 2x2 sections and peel the dirt back into the main bed and harvest the potatoes. Potatoes and SFG %3Ca%20href=

choksaw on 3/17/2010, 11:39 pm

Thats actualy an awesome idea Sirtravers i can already here the gears grinding for my next project lol

SirTravers on 3/17/2010, 11:45 pm

playing with legos, blocks, and Lincoln Logs all those years pays off sometimes hehe.

choksaw on 3/17/2010, 11:49 pm

i ate my lincon logs and blew up my legos in a GI joe war but man we had fun building with those things

chocolatepop on 3/17/2010, 11:57 pm

Here is my potato "high rise"

I also did this, but I can't find a picture of it:

boffer on 3/18/2010, 12:01 am

You can find all kind of info if you google 'garbage can potatoes' I got 70 taters out of a garbage can one year-not bad for 3square feet of ground.

The advantage to Travers drawing is you can take off a board on the lower side to steal a few new potatoes

Travers your HOA isn't gonna appreciate your tire planters!

SirTravers on 3/18/2010, 12:07 am

Very true they'd freak over tire planters. All my old redneck ways are having to be modified! Oh well I still like building this new stuff anyway. Potatoes and SFG Icon_biggrin

bpbdrummer on 3/18/2010, 1:30 am

I just tried planting potatoes for the first time, although i went with the trash can method, picked up two 32 gallon trash cans at lowes for $9/ea. drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom for drainage added a few inches of mix , and planted about 5-6 pieces of seed potato in each can. just red potatoes in one and white potatoes in the other. If it works out well, next year I'll order some other types like blue and some odd varieties.

LupinFarm on 3/18/2010, 1:40 am

Very popular are 5 gallon buckets, like from home depot, but I'm using tote boxes this year...I can get about 3-4 plants in a long totebox, I'm doing the same with my onions. I had problems with the rabbits stealing my onions last year lol. I figure I can put the totes in the garage, or whatever.

Ray'ssfg on 3/18/2010, 7:20 am

I used the method, that chocolatepop has a description of, below her picture, to grow my potatoes this year with great success. I ended up with 6 2x2 boxes on top of each other that grew about 3ft high. Have now planted a second crop that are nearly ready to harvest.
Ray down under Potatoes and SFG Icon_smile

**WardinWake** on 3/18/2010, 8:40 am

@LupinFarm wrote:Very popular are 5 gallon buckets, like from home depot, but I'm using tote boxes this year...I can get about 3-4 plants in a long totebox, I'm doing the same with my onions. I had problems with the rabbits stealing my onions last year lol. I figure I can put the totes in the garage, or whatever.

The more I use Table Top (TT) height SFG's the more I like them. You have the makings for an easy TT by placing your tater farm on a table, set of sawhorses, or a purpose built frame. Rabbits cannot climb up a table leg").

God Bless, Ward.

momstitch on 3/18/2010, 12:07 pm

Thanks to all who replied. I think I am learning through these replies that it doesnt require a large surface area to grow potatoes. I didn't know that they could grow on top of each other like that. Thanks again
Martha

chocolatepop on 3/18/2010, 12:41 pm

I also had another idea. I was going to take a rotozip and cut a small square or two into a large trashcan, then use some small bolts, latches, and hooks to basically make a door, that way i could "steal" new potatoes when i wanted to. I don't know if I'll have time to try it as I am working, momming, wifing, and schooling right now, but one can dream correct? Potatoes and SFG Icon_wink

boffer on 3/18/2010, 12:57 pm

a hinged door on a garbage can....I like it!

bpbdrummer on 3/18/2010, 1:41 pm

@chocolatepop wrote:I also had another idea. I was going to take a rotozip and cut a small square or two into a large trashcan, then use some small bolts, latches, and hooks to basically make a door, that way i could "steal" new potatoes when i wanted to. I don't know if I'll have time to try it as I am working, momming, wifing, and schooling right now, but one can dream correct?

you could also grow them in straw and then you just reach down in and pick a few.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/salloum100.html

chocolatepop on 3/18/2010, 1:48 pm

Yup, that is exactly what I did in my 2x2 box in the picture above, made life much easier, since ironically i am a little squimish about creatures that have more legs than my cat....

Ill try to get a pic later.

momstitch on 3/21/2010, 5:48 pm

I have heard a lot of good things about growing potatoes in mulch. If I were to put grass clippings or straw over growing mix, couldn't that introduce weeds?
Martha

chocolatepop on 3/21/2010, 8:32 pm

IDK about grass clippings, but I got no weeds from the straw. mainly because the only soil you have is in the very bottom, the rest is straw piled on top. I think the lack of sun helps prevent the weeds also.

boffer on 3/21/2010, 8:38 pm

@momstitch wrote:I have heard a lot of good things about growing potatoes in mulch. If I were to put grass clippings or straw over growing mix, couldn't that introduce weeds?
Martha

I wouldn't use fresh cut green grass. Leave it on the lawn to dry first.

jjphoto on 3/23/2010, 2:04 pm

Think you can use straw in the trash can method? If so, that would cut down on a lot of the cost of adding soil to a big trash can.

chocolatepop on 3/23/2010, 4:08 pm

@jjphoto wrote:Think you can use straw in the trash can method? If so, that would cut down on a lot of the cost of adding soil to a big trash can.

This is what I plan on doing! Potatoes and SFG Icon_cool

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