Anyone ever grown potatoes this close? - Page 2

svalli · May 28, 2018

I have small 60x80 cm raised bed boxes made from pallet collars. I have planted 8 uncut seed potatoes in such collar, so mine are planted even closer. We eat the spuds from my raised beds as fresh new potatoes, so I am not trying to get them to grow really large and usually harvest them before the tops die. This year I have potatoes in five 11" containers and two boxes, so I may let the other box grow longer to see how they grow so crowded. The same variety is also field grown, so I could compare how the tight spacing affects.

Sari

Old School · May 28, 2018

Here is an updated photo taken today. All have broken through the 3-4" layer of straw that I topped the bed off with. Essentially just a thick layer of mulch to keep down the weeds and sun off the plants. The potatoes themselves were covered with a compost and manure mixture I got at Lowes.

IMG_1841.jpg

I appreciate another look Sari. I hope you will update later in the year on your potato status

Old School · June 5, 2018

An update of the Potatoes today 6-5-18

IMG_1869.jpg

Starting to set flowers already

IMG_1870.jpg

brownrexx · June 5, 2018

Beautiful!

NarnianGarden · June 9, 2018

Lovely!
I'm growing potatoes in buckets and the seed tubers were placed really close... as I was not sure which was going to survive. Now they are growing stalks & leaves, and I hope the space isn't too small to make new tubers...
Will try the first 'early 'variety in August, the latter one will be left to grow until September.

Old School · July 8, 2018

Update as of yesterday 7-7-18. I had to prune some along the way. They flopped over the sides of the bed and were in the way of the mower. Especially on the far side. I think I still clipped a few stalks as I mowed yesterday.

Regardless they seem to continue on at this point

IMG_2007.jpg

Old School · August 16, 2018

Picked the first half of the potato bed today. This included all of the Purple Viking potatoes and some of the Yukon Gold that were planted. Not quite the harvest I had hoped for but better than nothing. We have had an exorbitant amount of rain this Summer. I found one rotting potato but the rest turned out Ok (not gonna mention the one I speared with my garden fork

) Still have roughly half the bed to go but will cure these first.

IMG_2099.jpg

IMG_2100.jpg

IMG_2101.jpg

IMG_2102.jpg

IMG_2103.jpg

Old School · August 16, 2018

Not sure why but I can't see the photos I posted

I've noticed this in a few other topics lately as well. Can anyone else see them?

PhilaGardener · August 16, 2018

I see them. Nicely sized!

Nematode · August 17, 2018

Dig half now to give the others space.
Nothing like new taters.

svalli · August 19, 2018

Wow, those are large potatoes. Did you count how many seed potatoes produced the ones you have now harvested?

My small pallet collar potato bed has still green foliage, so I have to wait before digging in there. I poked the soil with my fingers few weeks ago and dug up couple spuds from the surface to cook with the fresh new potatoes from one of the PotatoPot containers. We have had quite dry summer, so all raised beds and containers have needed watering almost every day. It will be interesting to see what grows in my small potato box.

Sari

brownrexx · August 19, 2018

I plant my seed potatoes under only a couple of inches of soil and then I pile straw on top. I am able to harvest my crop with just my hands, no fork needed.

I took a pic of the tubers after I pulled aside the straw because I was so impressed to see them laying there. I did not take a picture of the whole harvest but I probably tripled the amount that I planted and many of my potatoes were huge. These are Kennebec but the 2 red ones were a surprise so that must have come from a volunteer plant.

20180812_122732 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

Whwoz · August 19, 2018

Last year I planted 9 Royal Blues in a 1/2 IBC roughly 1 x 1.2 m and missed watering the while bottling fruit and tomatoes in late Feb, checked for new spuds after they had died down but they were only small so I did not disturb them further. Have had about 50 come up so far over the past month. Have added about 15kg Alpaca poo to the top so far and thinking I will need to add the same again shortly, may even add 30kg - it comes at the right price.

JRinPA · August 20, 2018

It was definitely a good year to have them in a raised bed! They look good to me. I put some in very late in dollar store laundry baskets with landscape fabric to hold the compost. We had found some potatoes that were forgotten, so I threw them in something, basically. Haven't had to water since they broke through. Filled the baskets the rest of the way when high enough and they put flowers on a couple weeks back. It would be nice to get some, but I only have about an hour into them, so nothing lost otherwise.

Old School · August 25, 2018

Here are the rest of the potatoes from this bed. They are all Yukon Gold. I started with 28 seed potatoes in total. I didn't count the harvest but I think I am ahead a decent amount

IMG_2104.jpg

Hopefully the pictures are viewable by others since I can't view them anymore after posting for some reason. Just a black "x" viewable for me with "Name: IMG_2105.jpg (example) viewable". Maybe I need to rename the photo or something

IMG_2105.jpg

May 28, 2018	#16
svalli Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Vaasa, Finland, latitude N 63° Posts: 838	I have small 60x80 cm raised bed boxes made from pallet collars. I have planted 8 uncut seed potatoes in such collar, so mine are planted even closer. We eat the spuds from my raised beds as fresh new potatoes, so I am not trying to get them to grow really large and usually harvest them before the tops die. This year I have potatoes in five 11" containers and two boxes, so I may let the other box grow longer to see how they grow so crowded. The same variety is also field grown, so I could compare how the tight spacing affects. Sari __________________ "I only want to live in peace, plant potatoes and dream." - Moomin-troll by Tove Jansson

May 28, 2018	#17
Old School Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Central PA, Zone 6 Posts: 93	Here is an updated photo taken today. All have broken through the 3-4" layer of straw that I topped the bed off with. Essentially just a thick layer of mulch to keep down the weeds and sun off the plants. The potatoes themselves were covered with a compost and manure mixture I got at Lowes. IMG_1841.jpg I appreciate another look Sari. I hope you will update later in the year on your potato status __________________ -Frank

June 5, 2018	#18
Old School Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Central PA, Zone 6 Posts: 93	An update of the Potatoes today 6-5-18 IMG_1869.jpg Starting to set flowers already IMG_1870.jpg __________________ -Frank

July 8, 2018	#21
Old School Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Central PA, Zone 6 Posts: 93	Update as of yesterday 7-7-18. I had to prune some along the way. They flopped over the sides of the bed and were in the way of the mower. Especially on the far side. I think I still clipped a few stalks as I mowed yesterday. Regardless they seem to continue on at this point IMG_2007.jpg __________________ -Frank

August 16, 2018	#22
Old School Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Central PA, Zone 6 Posts: 93	Picked the first half of the potato bed today. This included all of the Purple Viking potatoes and some of the Yukon Gold that were planted. Not quite the harvest I had hoped for but better than nothing. We have had an exorbitant amount of rain this Summer. I found one rotting potato but the rest turned out Ok (not gonna mention the one I speared with my garden fork ) Still have roughly half the bed to go but will cure these first. IMG_2099.jpg IMG_2100.jpg IMG_2101.jpg IMG_2102.jpg IMG_2103.jpg __________________ -Frank

June 5, 2018	#19
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	Beautiful!

June 9, 2018	#20
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	Lovely! I'm growing potatoes in buckets and the seed tubers were placed really close... as I was not sure which was going to survive. Now they are growing stalks & leaves, and I hope the space isn't too small to make new tubers... Will try the first 'early 'variety in August, the latter one will be left to grow until September.

August 16, 2018	#24
PhilaGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Near Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,940	I see them. Nicely sized!

August 17, 2018	#25
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	Dig half now to give the others space. Nothing like new taters.

August 19, 2018	#27
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	I plant my seed potatoes under only a couple of inches of soil and then I pile straw on top. I am able to harvest my crop with just my hands, no fork needed. I took a pic of the tubers after I pulled aside the straw because I was so impressed to see them laying there. I did not take a picture of the whole harvest but I probably tripled the amount that I planted and many of my potatoes were huge. These are Kennebec but the 2 red ones were a surprise so that must have come from a volunteer plant. 20180812_122732 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

August 19, 2018	#28
Whwoz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Victoria, Australia Posts: 870	Last year I planted 9 Royal Blues in a 1/2 IBC roughly 1 x 1.2 m and missed watering the while bottling fruit and tomatoes in late Feb, checked for new spuds after they had died down but they were only small so I did not disturb them further. Have had about 50 come up so far over the past month. Have added about 15kg Alpaca poo to the top so far and thinking I will need to add the same again shortly, may even add 30kg - it comes at the right price.

August 20, 2018	#29
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	It was definitely a good year to have them in a raised bed! They look good to me. I put some in very late in dollar store laundry baskets with landscape fabric to hold the compost. We had found some potatoes that were forgotten, so I threw them in something, basically. Haven't had to water since they broke through. Filled the baskets the rest of the way when high enough and they put flowers on a couple weeks back. It would be nice to get some, but I only have about an hour into them, so nothing lost otherwise. Last edited by JRinPA; August 20, 2018 at 12:51 AM.

August 25, 2018	#30
Old School Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Central PA, Zone 6 Posts: 93	Here are the rest of the potatoes from this bed. They are all Yukon Gold. I started with 28 seed potatoes in total. I didn't count the harvest but I think I am ahead a decent amount IMG_2104.jpg Hopefully the pictures are viewable by others since I can't view them anymore after posting for some reason. Just a black "x" viewable for me with "Name: IMG_2105.jpg (example) viewable". Maybe I need to rename the photo or something IMG_2105.jpg __________________ -Frank