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Thursday, May 9, 2013

My Potato Conundrum ....

  Late last summer I came upon the concept of growing potatoes in a large box, bag ,or even stacked tires. Before this growing potatoes had never crossed my mind. In fact the only person I had ever heard of interested in growing potatoes stayed up late at night to listen to conspiracy theorist / survivalist radio. Honestly if we have global anarchy  potatoes will be the last thing on my mind. Get the gun Erik were shootin our way out !! I watch way too much TV.

   I decided potatoes would be my winter crop experiment. I chose three spots for my boxes and planted Yukon gold and Red potatoes just for kicks .I had more Potatoes so I planted a row in the summer garden spot. Well they all started to grow , slowly I might add, then died in the "Great Freeze of January". Maybe I would try again in spring. 

  Honestly the potatoes were the last thing on my mind when they started to grow. And grow. And grow. Being an adaptable kind of gal I worked them into my plans. Gardening should be a static kind of thing. Now however the box concept did not work into my plans. In my research I came across an article that stated hilling with dirt and straw were the most effective methods. I had lost my box building mojo anyhow .

  So here's my conundrum. I decided to dirt mound my potatoes in the summer garden and straw mound some I planted in the winter garden .


 
  Let me tell you hilling with dirt is not as much fun as it looks. I'm up to almost two feet in the front of the row and the hilling is giving way to gravity. I still have another 1/2 row to go. Plus I am running out of dirt. No I don't want to dig up the yard somewhere else. No I don't want to buy bags of compost. Putting 60 to 100 dollars worth of dirt on  the possibility of  getting a $2 bag of potatoes makes no sense to me.

   I will probably continue on with straw. My main conundrum is where to put the drip line ? Do I keep it buried near the bottom of the roots or do I put it on top of the mound. I am guessing the potato vine grows roots in the covered area and needs water also. Maybe bury the line and give the hills a good hand watering now and then? Help would be appreciated. Ah the conundrums of a modern woman's life.......

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