One of my experiments this season was to grow 'my' potatoes in a separate area, raised in circles. I put many inches of pine needles mixed with compost and leaves onto the plants in their rings (rolled up shelf liners and a muck tub with the bottom kicked out). I dug my potatoes yesterday and was disappointed by the amounts. I expected a huge harvest. I think they may have been too far from the sprinkler to get watered as well as they should have. But I have also heard people say if you plant potatoes a few inches in soil they won't take to non-soil hilling- they say you have to start with non soil to hill them with it.
Any comments?
I plan on growing my taters in a mix of compost and pine needles (with some leaves mixed in) next year and add straw if needed. I liked Mumsey's photos of a potato patch planted very close and with lots of straw. Not sure how to pick potato bugs if I were to plant that close together. thread

Minnie,

Here is a link to the potato posts on Johnny's Selected Seeds blog. Interesting reading.

http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/search?q=potatoes

Nice photos on that site Paul!

Great article! mrs.K

Minnie, I planted mine in a few inches of soil in old muck buckets with holes drilled in the bottoms and the sides. I put about 5 slips in each. As soon as the foliage started, I "hilled" with a mix of compost, peat, and composted chicken manure/shavings. I watered as best I could but not religiously. I ended up with HUGE potatoes, and many of them, in each bucket. Plus the most beautiful fat earthworms that were recycled back into other gardens. No bugs on the potatoes, either. There was still a ton of space in the buckets- next year I'll put more slips in each bucket. Hope this info helps.

I'm not sure if I read all the points I was supposed to find. That is a really long page!

My garden at home used to look just like that- everything had garden fabric. Cutting holes for each onion is a real pain! Now I just use the fabric for cucurbits, tomatoes, peppers sometimes and maybe sweet potatoes.