Urban potato farming

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

GotGarlic

Chef Extraordinaire
Joined
May 9, 2007
Messages
28,109
Location
Southeastern Virginia
My, it's so quiet here today. I thought I'd share our potato garden. We started it on April 1 and it's going gangbusters. We're using compost we made and they seem to love it. They're French fingerling potatoes. I hope we get a great harvest! :)
 

Attachments

  • 2016-04-01 18.04.22.jpg
    2016-04-01 18.04.22.jpg
    100.2 KB · Views: 272
  • 2016-04-18 15.34.42.jpg
    2016-04-18 15.34.42.jpg
    106.6 KB · Views: 229
  • 2016-04-23 20.01.33.jpg
    2016-04-23 20.01.33.jpg
    61.1 KB · Views: 225
  • 2016-05-07 14.31.27.jpg
    2016-05-07 14.31.27.jpg
    98.3 KB · Views: 241
  • 2016-05-07 15.14.06.jpg
    2016-05-07 15.14.06.jpg
    92.9 KB · Views: 211
  • 2016-05-16 18.17.04.jpg
    2016-05-16 18.17.04.jpg
    43.3 KB · Views: 215
Last edited:
Are you adding dirt and boards as they grow? What kind of a yield are you supposed to have? Looks interesting and we love fingerlings, though probably too hot here now.
 
Wow, that looks like a great set up there, GG. They've come a long way in only 2 months!
 
Are you adding dirt and boards as they grow? What kind of a yield are you supposed to have? Looks interesting and we love fingerlings, though probably too hot here now.

Yes. Apparently, it can be from 50-100 pounds, or even more. I kept forgetting to take pictures as we added boards :LOL:

Here's an article about it: Potato box yields scads of spuds – The Denver Post

It probably is too hot there now. You could probably start one in the fall, though.
 
Thanks, all :)

Btw, we started with six seed potatoes from our local feed & seed store. They already had sprouts. We cut them apart and let them sit on the kitchen windowsill for a few days, till the surface dried out some and then planted them.

They're starting to bloom now, but they're still growing!
 

Attachments

  • 1464303687036.jpg
    1464303687036.jpg
    56.9 KB · Views: 219
  • 1464303702267.jpg
    1464303702267.jpg
    81.9 KB · Views: 193
I tried something similar a few years ago and used large pots. The results were mixed as the leaves became infected with the dreaded black spot and I was forced to abandon the experiment.

I love your method and will try it next summer.
 
Good LUCK!! I hope you get the unusually large harvest I've read about. We planted in towers last year and also in the ground (which was mounded up). We saw about the same production in both places.
wpotatoboxes.jpg


potatotoweropening1.jpg


One was planted with kennebecs and one with red potatoes.

potatotoweropening2.jpg


I watered consistently and fed them, adding dirt almost every 2 - 3 days until the top was constructed and filled. The towers looked nice and would make good planters for flowers, so it's not a waste of work constructing them. The dirt left at the end was used to fill low spots in the yard. It was a fun experiment!
 
I never got the huge yields, that Ive seen in pics ,when I tried this method. The biggest benefit for me, was that it kept the plants more under control, rather than flopping over into what was growing near them.
 
Back
Top Bottom