Sooo, I got sick of looking at the
straw potatoes in the hot tub and harvested them this morning. What a disappointment they were! Not that I expected to get 400 pounds of potatoes in a 4x4 area, by any means, but I did expect a little better yield than what we got out of them. All total, there was about 20 pounds of taters and many of those were very tiny. I believe I could have harvested more worms from there than I did potatoes.
The only good thing that came of this experiment is that we now have some very dark and pretty soil to grow something else in for the remainder of the summer. The brush and sticks that we had thrown in the bottom a couple years ago when we first turned it into a planter are also now completely dissolved and turned to soil. I do not think we will be using this method again at least not in a container of any sort.
We have tried many of the alternative methods for growing different veggies most with poor results. We are beginning to believe that many people highly exaggerate how well many of these alternative methods actually work. And, if they are not telling tall tales then what exactly are we doing wrong with each experiment. The only ones we have had much success with for more than one growing season are the junk beds that we make. I don't however believe that junk beds would work well for growing taters and other root crops. I do hope that the regular planting of taters gives a better yield than what these did or we will be buying a lot of potatoes this winter.
The only good thing that came of this experiment is that we now have some very dark and pretty soil to grow something else in for the remainder of the summer. The brush and sticks that we had thrown in the bottom a couple years ago when we first turned it into a planter are also now completely dissolved and turned to soil. I do not think we will be using this method again at least not in a container of any sort.
We have tried many of the alternative methods for growing different veggies most with poor results. We are beginning to believe that many people highly exaggerate how well many of these alternative methods actually work. And, if they are not telling tall tales then what exactly are we doing wrong with each experiment. The only ones we have had much success with for more than one growing season are the junk beds that we make. I don't however believe that junk beds would work well for growing taters and other root crops. I do hope that the regular planting of taters gives a better yield than what these did or we will be buying a lot of potatoes this winter.
It's sort of like watching people plant one 20' row of corn and then be disappointed that they get so few ears. (Only two per plant. You need lots or rows.) Potatoes usually grow anywhere so I'm wondering if it's the soil or what in the planter. I actually had potatoes grow on newspaper. Put the seed part down, covered it with a shovel of dirt and then topped it all with a bale of hay, which I added to as they grew. But, and this is a gardening truth, there are good years and bad years in growing food, which is why people put up as much as they can when there's a good season. We're having a good tomato year, this year, but it was really bad last year. Did you put any lime in the planter? Potatoes can't take it and you may have to rotate some crops for a couple of years. Otherwise, I don't know. But, don't give up. Come visit when you can.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing your potatoes...I hope I get some lovely potatoes like those....well done, I say. I suppose you could look at it as a learning curve...at least you will know to plant more next time...I'm looking forward to seeing how many potatoes I get.
ReplyDeleteoh we plant plenty more :)to the tune of 250-350 pounds ... it was just an experiment to see how well they actually did after reading so many sites that said they grow 400 pound in a 4x4 area... this was a perfect way to do it and make soil at the same time before we attempted to make ones of pallets and grow in them.. after this, i highly doubt we will make the pallet tater boxes after this experiment
ReplyDeleteeven 20 # is something, how do you keep up with the weeds in so many gardens? even though i am a mulcher, I spend considerable time weeding til i get the mulching done.
ReplyDeleteYou fared better than I did -apparently I over watered my tub potatoes -I harvest one fingerling potato. All the rest were rotten (including rotten potatoes the results would still be pretty dismal).
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