My First "Real" Garden!!!

My Dad tried something similiar to this method. He used a piece of sturdy plastic that had holes cut in the sides. The only tricky thing about it is to make sure the potatoes are getting enough water. He ended up having to water them a lot more than he thought he was going to.

I can see how that would be a problem, Cleo. My plan for next year is to place the basket on top of the soil in my raised bed. Hopefully, the potatoes will draw up water from the soil around them - and get more from above if needed. Knowing my habits, I'll be more prone to producing soggy potatoes. Can smell them rotting now.....

Kanita, do you grow any type of potatoe other than red potatoes? Do you start with that little chunk of potato (can't remember what it's called)? Any advice? I definitely want to grow them for the first time next year.

Debra

Hey Debra - I am growing red potatoes, yukon golds and russets. Yes, you start with a chunk of potato (seed potato) with at least 2 "eyes". Mine had started to sprout before I put them into the ground, then planted them in a hole with the sprout side up, and then I just covered the seed potatoes with soil.

Its a snap.

I havested 13 cucumbers today that were hiding in that earthbox mass of cucumber leaves, and put in a trellis. I had forgotten that my cubanell peppers were in front of the earthbox until I got those leaves off the ground. I think I will make a Thai cucumber salad.

I am using the big plastic nursery pots that trees have come in for potatoes. I filled them four or so inches of soil / compost, set in the seed potatoes and covered with another 2 inches or so of soil. When the potatoes are 6 inches +- i add another 4 inches of soil / compost and continue to do this as the plants grow. When you are ready to harvest just tip the bucket over... Because the buckets are plastic they retain water pretty well and already have adequate drainage.

Has the added bonus of keeping the ground squirrels from eating them before i do!

Tom, I like the plastic bucket concept! But you mentioned something I didn't know. Squirrels eat potatoes? As if my deer and raccoons weren't problem enough. May have to rethink this.....

Debra

Debra,
We have ground squirrels. They live in tunnels underground and love to eat tulip bulbs, chew the roots off plants, trees, etc. They are quite a nuisance, and aren't even very cute like regular squirrels!

Are they similar to what we call "Prairie Dogs" found in OK? We have regular squirrels - you know, "tree rats". They do like tulip bulbs so I don't even bother. Maybe my plans for potatoes are still on track!
Debra

Similar, but not so cute.

:)

Debra,

I'm going to try growing some sweet potatoes in a large cardboard box that has the bottom cut out of it. If that does ok, I may start some potatoes in another early this fall. I'm curious to see how they do.

Do you think the cardboard box is strong enough? I would think the pressure of the soil on wet cardboard would do it in.

Ohhhhh Cleo, sweet potatoes, yummy! One of my favorites! I'm a real southern girl. Kanita, do ya'll eat sweet potatoes in LA? The box is a great idea. Can't get much more economical than a cardboard box. Do you think it will hold up to water, etc.? Are you planning to use any particular type of box - heavier than usual, waxed, etc.? Please share your results! Oh yeah, let us know how the boxes work out, also. LOL

Debra

Just a thought.....maybe doubling up - one box inside another - would help prevent it from falling apart too early.

Debra - I love sweet potatoes & yams as well. I have a sweet potato sprouting right now so that I can plant it this week in another plot. I hope it does as well as the irish potatoes.

I think I will plant it in one of my homemade earthboxes as it is much deeper that the regular EB.

Why am I getting so hungry........?

Sweet potatoes will do that to you every time. Why do we have to wait until the holidays for sweet potato pie?

Since they take 100 days or longer... I just buy them at the store :(

I figure just plant them and forget about them. Plus, sweet potato vines make pretty plants.

Most of the blossoms have died on my potato plant, so I will wait another month or so to check for potatoes. I want them to be a nice size.

They are pretty, we planted one just to look at. Our season isn't long enough to get potatoes though.

I have a new friend "working" with me in my garden. I think I'll name him Kirby. He's been there for a bout a good 3 weeks now, and everytime I come to the garden and start to water, he gets out out of the way of the water and just sits on one of the pots until I am done.

How much does Kirby eat?

Thats whats weird, I don't really see any damage to the plants, and I don't know how to get rid of him before I do.

When you find your plants consumed overnight like a cloud of locusts have passed through.........you'll suddenly know how to get rid of him! :)

What works on them? I'm sure regular sprays like neem or insecticidal soap won't do, he is pretty big.

The sole of your shoe! (crrrruuunch!)

Eeeewwwww!!!!!!! Oh my gawwwwwwddddd! NEVER!

I don't enjoy it either, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going......

It's a pretty sturdy box and I've wrapped twine around it so we'll see. It's just an experiment so it won't bother me if it falls apart. :-D

This message was edited Jun 22, 2006 2:14 PM

Smart thinking, Cleo. The twine should keep them together much longer than without.

Awe, don't kill Kirby. That's bad Karma, yknow?

I agree with you Salem...bad karma. I'd have hauntind dreams at night of Kirby coming back from the grave and attacking all of the vegetables in my garden.

So Kanita - is Kirby still keeping you company? And has he been behaving himself? To be honest, I couldn't kill him either.

(would have to get my husband to do it) ooooohhhhhhh, just kidding!

Debra

Hey Debra - He's still around and seems to be enjoying the swiss chard! Only the green swiss chard and not the red. I'm too busy dealing with this problem I having with my tomatoes. Farmer Dill says it looks like fusarium wilt. Funny, its on in the plots that I planted store bought cell packs, mine from seed which are in different locations are fine.

Sounds like you have him well trained. Will you show us some updated photos of your beds? Did any other gardeners show up or is it still just you and the man who runs it?

Kanita you know I've always had problems with store bought plants...I think I have the hidden virus magnet or something..hope they start to perk up and keep posting your pictures.

Thanks Araness. Debra - It's still just the two of us. So we keep planting and pulling weeds. Now we are putting bark throughout the walking paths in between the beds, it looks really nice. Unfortunately, his corn took a turn for the worst, and he pulled it all up yesterday. He says he never has luck growing corn. I'm glad I have mine in my earthbox which is doing great, but I also have about 2dozen corn stalks in the ground as well, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I took off one of the stems of my tomatoes like Farmer Dill said and cut it open, I don't see the brown layer he said it should have if its fusarium, it can't be the heat, can it?

Here's a pic of the cut off stem.

Here's a glimpse of the whole plant.

Kanita,

I can't get the link to work correctly, but Google "tomato rootknot nematodes", go to images, and the first couple of images should be from the NC State University. Fusarium Wilt and Rootknot Nematodes have very similar symptoms. Could either of these be yours?

There's also some type of tomato blight that tends to affect plants grown in the soil that previous affected tomatos were grown in. I recall reading about it several years ago when I had tomatos in a community garden. Everyone had it - because every garden had tomatos every year! Unless you rented the same plot every year and could rotate your crops, you couldn't avoid planting where tomatos had been the year before.

Good luck. Debra

Thanks Debra - I will check that out. I know for a fact tomatoes were previously grown there because I have volunteer tomato plants popping up all over the place in clusters.

Here's some pickin's from the garden. Finally starting to pick more than just cukes and beans.

Can anyone tell me when its time to pull up the potatoes?

A few other goodies.