Growing potatoes vertically?

[BearCreekFarm]

I would not grow anything in used tires. But, I have experimented with growing potatoes in a compost bin. I had some leftover potato parts after we planted out two potato patches this year so I threw them in the compost bin (open-top bin framed with hay bales). After a couple of them sprouted I just kept adding more material to the bin. We just harvested them yesterday- they seem to have done very well in spite of the fact that we planted very late this year. Next year, DH will plant his potato patch conventionally, while mine will be planted entirely in hay bale/compost bin raised beds. We are planning to weigh our seed potatoes before planting, then weigh our harvest at the end of the season and compare to see which method has a higher yield.

No, honey, it isn't a competition, exactly. It's an experiment, yeah, that's what it is, lol.

[holleegee]

My dad use to plant them in a circle of chicken wire, add leaves- straw- dirt- as the plants grew then at the end of the season he would open up the chicken wire and knock over the pile and collect the potatoes.

[Pony]

I tried it last year, but I loaded up too quickly and choked off the growth of the plants.

Next year, I'm planting my spuds in straw. Put down a thick layer of newspaper, plop on the seed potatoes, and then about 12-18" of straw.

I just had to smile. Gardening is a lot like being a Cubs fan: Wait till next year!

Pony!

[Home~Maker]

So how about a plastic trash can with the bottom cut out? You'd have a removable lid to add compost and mulch to it as the plants grew, and once it was time to harvest you could just pick up the can by the handles and let the soil and potatoes slide out (or just not cut it, add drainage holes at the bottom around the sides and dump it out when they're ready). Could that work? I could do that with two of them, right up against my house, and nobody would ever be the wiser

I'm planning on getting two or three smaller plastic trashcans next summer, and/or a big one to lay on its side (with a makeshift door cut into the side). I'm going to bury them 3/4 of the way with mulch around and over the top of them, and maybe toss a tarp over the top too, behind my porch where it's not visible from the road, as a do-it-myself root cellar. It will be great to go with my raised-bed garden; I'm going to try square foot gardening in the spring

[Mrs_stuart]

I was going to say use a good welded wire, in a circle, wired together so that is stands up on its own...you can use dirt, or hay inside of it...We have tried it and i think that it allows the air to circulate better than the closed up versions...so that the humidity doesnt build up (but then again that depends on your loacation too)
You can also lay out several layers of newpaper, right onto the untilled ground and then add seed pototo, covering with hay (we use old bedding and such that is hauled off from out goats) and heep it on...add more if needed later and they will grow...no tilling needed...and they are easy to retreive and very clean, compared to in the dirt method.

Belinda

[Home~Maker]

Originally Posted by Mrs_stuart

You can also lay out several layers of newpaper, right onto the untilled ground and then add seed pototo, covering with hay (we use old bedding and such that is hauled off from out goats) and heep it on...add more if needed later and they will grow...no tilling needed...and they are easy to retreive and very clean, compared to in the dirt method.

That sounds like a great idea! Is there something you can use besides hay, if I can't get any? I (unfortunately) live almost in town... What about something like grass clippings and leaves, would that have the same result, do you think, or would they get too damp?

[Pony]

Originally Posted by Home~Maker

That sounds like a great idea! Is there something you can use besides hay, if I can't get any? I (unfortunately) live almost in town... What about something like grass clippings and leaves, would that have the same result, do you think, or would they get too damp?

Hay is just grass that's had a chance to dry out, so if you let the clippings go brown, they'll probably work fine. Same for the leaves, but you may want to shred or otherwise break them up so they don't clump when wet. Wonder if lots of shredded paper would work... Maybe if you mixed it with your grass clippings?

Pony!

[Home~Maker]

Hmmm... I dunno... I do know that right now, I have a surplus of dried leaves in my yard ... I suppose I could bag a bunch, stuff them under my porch and save them for spring. I'm sure they'd make great garden mulch, too! I only have kitchen garbage bags though lol... no yard bags... Oh well, they'll fit under the porch better, right?

Or maybe I can use one of our two big trash cans, put most of them in there (and get them "composting") without wasting the bags... hmmmmmmmm

Is there any reason to worry about the ink from the newspaper affecting the spuds?

[Pony]

Originally Posted by Home~Maker

Is there any reason to worry about the ink from the newspaper affecting the spuds?

None that I can think of. The majority of inks are soybased now, anyway. And if you're using the newspaper for mulch, beds, etc., and things are alright, I see no reason the potatoes would be adversely affected.

Pony!

[Home~Maker]

Okay. Thanks

[Kee Wan]

Originally Posted by Pony

The majority of inks are soybased now, anyway. [/COLOR]

As far as I know - the inks that are soy based are the black ones. Colored inks may have a soy base - but can also contain things that are not nearly so natural. Now, there are colored inks that are naturally based - but those are problematic in that they are harder to set - and tend to run badly when damp...so they use chemicals to set the colors - and those lend a whole new set of problems.

Now - most of the damaging chemical components of colored inks tend to be photosensitive (they decompose in direct sunlight) but I don't know what they decompose into - and I don't know how long it takes to decompost into something safe.

Me - I'd just stay away from colored inks - unless you know that the source of the paper is really into environmentally friendly kinds of things and uses only safe inks.

What I know was current about 4 years ago when I was in college (as a chemist) New inks may have been developed since then that are better and more environmentally friendly - I just don't know.

[snoozy]

Originally Posted by Home~Maker

So how about a plastic trash can with the bottom cut out? You'd have a removable lid to add compost and mulch to it as the plants grew, and once it was time to harvest you could just pick up the can by the handles and let the soil and potatoes slide out (or just not cut it, add drainage holes at the bottom around the sides and dump it out when they're ready). Could that work? I could do that with two of them, right up against my house, and nobody would ever be the wiser

I'm planning on getting two or three smaller plastic trashcans next summer, and/or a big one to lay on its side (with a makeshift door cut into the side). I'm going to bury them 3/4 of the way with mulch around and over the top of them, and maybe toss a tarp over the top too, behind my porch where it's not visible from the road, as a do-it-myself root cellar. It will be great to go with my raised-bed garden; I'm going to try square foot gardening in the spring

I tried that last year. Failure. Don't know if it was me or the method, but I keep trying space-conserving potato growing strategies and I end up buying potatoes at the grocery store. The only time I have been successful is when I just put the durn things in my regular garden bed (it is raised).

[Home~Maker]

Okay... I'm doing raised beds in the spring, I'll just reserve a big section of one for taters, probably next to the onions. I'd rather do that than to have nothing to show for my hard work.

[Mrs_stuart]

Originally Posted by Home~Maker

Okay. Thanks

Yes, you can use grass clippings, leaves or anything that you have like that...
Sorry, I havent been on here to answere your questions, but it looks like Pony did a good job of it...thank.

Belinda

[Tunicamom]

HI,
Just my experience in growing potatoes in tires:
I found that I didn't have enough dirt, etc to put in the tires when the potatoes started growing. I had them at the edge of my garden, and ended up digging large holes in the garden to fill in the tires. Guess I'll try again next year maybe, using hay, if I have any left over from the winter.

Also, I'm new to potato growing - I knocked over the tires too soon and the potatoes were only a little larger than golf balls. How do I know when they're ready to harvest?

[suelandress]

A ways back...maybe five years?.... I read about using tires is the vegetable garden.....that is was NOT a good idea, as tires leaked toxice amounts of zinc?

Sorry, it's been so long, I don't remember most of it, but you may want to check it out before using the tires for food ite,s.

[Kee Wan]

Knowing what I know about the things that go into tires - and the things that they break down into - I wouldn't want tires anywhere near my garden. Tires leach benzenes (among other nasties) into the soil and water as they decompose (alebet slowly) in both water and sun.....

In terms of growing potatoes this method - I'd use an oak barrel - hay bales - 55gal drum (depending on what it was used to store first) - heck - almost anything, before I'd use old tires.

One other thing.....I would NOT use old plastic 55gal barrels UNLESS you know what they once held. Plastics are notorius for holding onto chemicals and leachign them out later. An old 55 gal plastic barrel that was used for water would probably be ok...but many of the industrial ones have been used for nasties - and rinsed out and called clean.....

[woodspirit]

Even though the inks may, or may not be soy based, the other danger in using newspaper is the cleaning solvents used top clean the printing roller and other parts of the presses. We used to use something called Varn. Pretty bad stuff. As for the tire idea; I've always used redwood containers for potatoes and carrots as the soils are very loose crumbly soils and no weeds to worry about. The potato plants are quite attractive on the deck too!