The land I'm gardening this summer is heavy heavy clay, but I LOVE growing potatoes. I've read about lots of different methods - in barrels, or bags (tried that - no luck) or straw etc. etc. but have limited experience with them.

I'd like to hear from people who have actually tried any of these "above ground" methods for growing potatoes as well as specifics - how did you do it, what would you change, how did it work and so on.

OR - is there a variety of potato that's good for heavy clay??

Many thanks!!

Yup. I grow mine in cardboard boxes. I also have a trash can with the bottom cut out, and holes drilled in the sides, which was my first composter, but which I outgrew very VERY quickly. I tried growing my potatoes in the ground as well as in boxes last summer, and decided I like the box method much, much better.

It just isn't pretty.

Open your cardboard box at both ends, and set it on the ground. Cover the flaps with dirt to anchor it. Either tape or tie strong twine around your cardboard box, so when it gets wet, it won't flap away in the wind. Put your seed potatoes on the ground inside the box, and cover them with compost or straw, or dirt, or whatever. When the green stuff grows through, bury it some more. When that grows through, bury it again, until you fill the box all the way to the top. Keep the boxes well watered, as they tend to dry out quickly, and the potato skins may look scabby. (The plastic garbage can didn't dry out as quickly, but it didn't exactly retain moisture, either.)

When you want some potatoes, all you have to do is undo the twine, tear the box open at a corner, rummage around under the plant, and tie the box back up again. Because the boxes are above ground, you know exactly where your potatoes are, too.

When I grew my potatoes in the ground last summer, I didn't get as many, but they did get bigger -- probably because I didn't disturb the plants looking for goodies before fall cleanup. I also had to contend with rot in the early spring -- I had to replant an entire row once, because drainage was so poor.

Root vegetables are good for breaking up hard clay soil, though. You might want to sow daikon radishes (also known as lo bok, or Chinese radish -- those foot-long white roots) between your boxes, just to break up the earth a little bit. Even if you don't eat them. They're a good companion for potatoes, as are onions and lettuce.

Have you tried the lasagna method? That is, laying thick sections of newspapers down on the surface you want to garden, instead of digging, and dropping at least 4" of compost or topsoil on top of them? The paper keeps unwelcome plants from sprouting as weeds, and the earthworms will do the rest of the work on the hard soil, as they try to get at your newspaper.

I'm growing potatoes above ground for the first time right now. The plants are about 1 foot tall. It's probably time to put on more compost and straw. They're growing right through the netting I put down to keep the raccoons out.

I've heard about growing potatoes in stacks of old tires. Not sure how I feel about growing things to eat in tires, and it wouldn't be pretty either, but have heard it works from a number of sources. You would plant the seed potato in the first tire and as it grows, stack more tires on top and fill with whatever medium you're using.
The box idea sounds cool though--I wonder what my neighbors would think...

This is my third year growing potatoes above ground through mulch. For me, I got tremdous results when I tried a combination of potatoes covered with a mixture of soil/compost and lots of mulch, like hay, straw, or unfinished compost.

I use a lot of powdered sulfur to rub on my whole potato spuds before planting to reduce fungal disease and add acidicity around the potato in the soil. I use either bone meal and/or corn meal as a phosphorus fertilizer for greater harvest, since potatoes act like a fruit on the stems, instead of a root. I put this around the spuds under the mulch at planting time. Corn meal also acts as a natural fungicide.

I continuely cover my potatoes stalks, as they grow, with more mulch or unfinished compost. I use dilute compost tea with molasses, or seaweed tea to feed the plants, and increase microbial growth, in order to release more available P and K to the plants.

I have grown potatoes above ground. I tilled the area for the spuds, tilled in fresh manure I got from a local horse stable, watered it and let it set for about 3 weeks. Retilled it, and planted the potatoes on top,watered them, then covered the area with about 12 inches of shredded leaves and straw. I then let nature take care of the rest. Had a wonderful crop of potatoes, that were just under the surface of the tilled ground. I don't think it would matter if the ground were clay or good soil, I had started my garden in clay soil, but, prior to planting the potatoes, it had been amended for 8 years and had a good 12 inches of topsoil on top of the old clay. I would till your clay soil, use a good organic manure, and give it a try. The soil under all that shredded leaves etc.,should stay moist and not dry out and become hard as is usual with clay soils.
GOOD LUCK

BaldEagle

Let me tell you what MY neighbours think:

"Oh, that's a very, um, ecological technique."

"That's innovative."

"Wow. You really know where the spuds are in there."

"And what do you grow around the boxes, and how tall will it get?" (My personal fave.)

I had good success last year growing red pontiacs on woodchips. I set the seed potatoes on the woodchips, raked some chips to cover. As the vines grew, I would rake more woodchips onto the vines, and also put grassclipping on them whenever I cut the lawn. It turned out pretty well. To harvest, I pulled up the plants by the vines and picked the potatoes off. I did have some scab(rought textured skins), and some knaw marks from skwirls(I presume), but for the most part, I got alot of potatoes w/not much effort, and will do the same, again this year. Good luck w/your spuds.

Hy Dragonfly...try doing a search for the Retiring Farbers...they recycle tires in their gardens, and yes growing in tires can be PRETTY!

I have recently read that using tires or long retread tire caps from trucks is not safe. Apparently there is a lot of zink in the rubber compound and when it leaches out it can build up in the soil and plants and ultimately build to a toxic level for humans. I think I read this information in recent OG magazines or Mother Earth News, not sure which one.

The University of MO research farm had an experiment a few years ago using above ground beds encircled with the truck tire caps supported with short lengths steel fence posts. At that time there was no information on the hazards of using the tire material. With the current information, I would not use tires or tire material.

Okay Elfie--

How big are the boxes you use? If you have a very large box, do you plant more than one seed potato in it? Do you put anything under the box (i.e. newspaper)? Do you tape or tie the box around the middle--or does this depend on the size of the box. Details, details, details...

--Rebecca

plan to try the above ground method mentioned in the 'ronniger potato catalog' as the 'cage method'. you line a wire cage with cardboard, add soil and the seed potatoes. when plants are about 8" tall start to cover with straw, compost, soil, or a mixture of all. when plant grows again, cover again. you can find ronniger's potato farm at 'ronnigers.com'.the farbers are at 'tirecrafting.com'. patches in texas

Cornmeal--as in the cornmeal you buy at the grocery store (or grind yourself)?

Hadn't heard of this as a phosphorous amendment before...

Check out Howard Garrett's dirtdoctor.com website and forum.

He is a big time fan of regular grocery store or farm feed grade corn meals. They made great nitrogen/phosphorus fertilzers, natural fungicides, compost biostimulants, and compost tea ingredients.

There is an article in Mother Earth News on growing potatoes above ground - a recent issue, not the one that's out now, but the previous one.