A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Vegetable Gardening 'Tater Time!

Okay, so I know that it's good to plant my potatoes now. I need some hints/tips/help! I have never tried growing them.

I want to try some in tires...I've heard they do REALLY well that way. But I also want to put some in the garden so that I can compare the 2 methods. Wayne thinks I'm nuts for collecting the used tires that are now stacked in the yard! LOL

I know that I need to cut them up into about one inch pieces with at least one eye on each piece. For the ones I put in the tires, how many pieces do I need to plant in each set up? And will the tire method work for sweet potatoes as well?

For the ones that go in the garden, how much space do I need to give them? I plant them in mounds, right? And again...how many pieces per mound?

For both methods: I need to know how to tell when they are ready to harvest. I think I read somewhere (not on here) that you harvest when they start to bloom for "new" potatoes and after the foilage has died back for larger potatoes. Is this right?

Thanks in advance!

Annette

never mind...I found what I needed!

Thanks anyway!

Annette

what did you decide? In the ground or on straw or what? I've always done mine in mounds but I think I've read where some people pile up straw and stick a potato in it and they do fine. I think my cat would dig that up.

I'm actually going to try both methods...tire and normal garden. We have a lot of clay, so I may mix it up on the soil/straw/mulch. You know, mix the soil I'm putting over the mounds with some straw/mulch to help with any drainage issues. The ones that are going in the tires I'm starting out with some miracle-grow garden soil that I had left over. Then I'm going to fill with mulch as needed. I got one tire set-up today, but I didn't put my potatoes in because it's supposed to be 22 degrees tonight. I think I'll wait till this weekend to start them. And the garden needs to dry out a little after yesterday's storms before I go walking out there. So hopefully by this weekend, I'll have some in the ground/tires.

Annette

my yard is too wet too. I just called my husband to see if he can bring me some tires. I'm going to try this too.

For the tires, do you fill it all the way up with dirt or mix it with straw and dirt? And just one potato cutting or how many did you put in?

I haven't put any in just yet. What I read said that you don't want to put them out till the air temp is consistently above 28 degrees. That sould be next week for us.

Depending on the size of the tires, you can put anywhere from 4-8 seeds in the tire. The way I was originally told to do the tire was to fill the tire about half way with a good garden soil, and plant your seeds. When the shoots get to be about 12 inches tall, you fill it up some more (about halfway up the shoot) with mulch. Once the first tire is full, you add a second tire and keep repeating the process of covering the plant about half way each time it reaches 12 inches above the mulch. Keep this up till your stack is 4 tires high. Once the forth tire is full of mulch, let the plant do it's thing. You can get "new" potatoes right after the blooms have finished, or for bigger 'taters, let the foilage die back completely.

Some of the methods I've read have you filling with soil all the way up. By using the mulch, the potatoes will come out cleaner.

I'm starting mine with some miracle grow garden soil I had left over from planting some other stuff last year. I will be filling with mulch because I have an abundance of it! LOL

Tell hubby to go by any of those cheap roadside tire places to get some old tires. They have to pay to have them hauled off, so they may be willing to just give them to you to keep from having to pay someone to haul them off. Works for me! LOL

Annette

The potatoes I've planted in the ground don't get 4 tires high.

In seeds you can do: potatoes, Spinack, Peas,lettuce, collards and onion sets and you can also do Broccoli and cabbage with plants right now.

The PH fron 5.8-6.5 is nice.

I plant mine not on a hills but just on a flat ground on soft deep soil about 16" apart and 2ft. from rows.

Plenty of potassium helps too.

They will if you keep burying part of the stem each time. It forces them to produce more roots and they will keep growing UP to reach the sun. Instead of the roots spreading OUT you will have more surface for the roots to start from. Supposedly you should be able to get around 30#s of potatoes from one tire set-up.

Annette

I haven't done the tire thing yet, but I have grown taters in straw once and it worked out very well. It was very easy to "dig" through the straw with just your hand. I did wonder what I'd do if I grabbed hold of a snake though.

Ok. I've got tires in the yard now. The tire man GAVE them to us. So let me see if I've got this straight.

The first tire I put dirt or mulch or straw in and plant the seed potatoes. Wait for those to grow some and cover them COMPLETELY over with dirt or whatever. Is that right? Once the top of the potato plant is a little tall I cover it completely? Then add another tire and do the same thing?

So actually only the potatoes in the top tire will have the plant showing and getting sun?

thanks Bill. I think I'm reading to cover the plant and that it won't suffocate. That seems amazing to me but I'm going to try it.

Johnny likes the little, red potatoes and I can't find any seed potatoes for them. I've been told that there sent from Canada and for some reason this area isn't receiving many or maybe none. They're sold in the stores. I know I'm supposed to use seeds potatoes but what will happen if I don't this season.