potatoes under straw

Taking advantage of a mild spell, I went harvested some white potatoes from my garden today. I was reminded of yet another very good reason to raise potatoes under straw (in addition to no weeding, few if any potato bugs, and ease of harvest). I planted four rows of potatoes this spring: three under straw and one traditionally (when I ran out of straw and still had seed potatoes to plant). I was a great year for potatoes and I've been digging them all fall into the winter. Here in Zone 5, we've already had some low temps this winter, into the single digits, much colder than usual for this early in the winter with very little snow cover. Taking advantage of the milder temps this week, I went out to dig a bunch of potatoes to stock up. The potatoes under the straw were beautiful and had kept well in "cold-storage" in the ground. The ones in the traditional row were also beautiful, but unfortunately were soft to the touch and ready to rot due to freezing in the unprotected ground. A whole 20' row gone to waste! Next year, I'll plant all of my potatoes under straw. Attached is a photo of today's harvest.

Wow!! Beautiful potatoes. I'll bet they are delicious, too. I wonder if that would work here. We are not nearly as cold as you, but very very wet in winter.

My potatoes this year were planted on top of a row of straw bales decomposing from the year before... then I covered them with the remaining decomposing straw. Had great potatoes, just as you did! However, I lifted mine in October, cured and then stored under straw in the root cellar.

Do you just hill them with the straw? I've got two rows of potatoes growing now and have been piling compost around them like a heavy mulch.

Susie... mine, or Hoosier's?

I used year old semi-composted straw underneath, and mounded around the taters as they grew.

What I do to plant potatoes "in straw" is this: First I hoe a very shallow trench, about 3" deep, so that after I set down the seed potatoes I can cover them with a layer of soil. (I pick out the smallest seed potatoes I can get from the garden center...they let anyone pick through the big burlap bags of seed potatoes for sale by the pound. This way, I don't have to cut large ones into pieces. Additionally, I usually let the seed potatoes sprout in the sun for a week before setting them out to get some nice growth on them first.) After the shoots come through the soil, I mound over them with just a couple of inches of soil, which makes the row just a little above the ground level. If I have the straw ready, I go ahead and bury the rows with about 6" of loose straw, mulching between the rows with more straw (or you can leave the paths bare and till them to keep them weeded). It's OK to let them grow a while without straw, but the quicker I use the straw, the fewer weeds get started. When the shoots come through this new layer of straw, I put a final layer of straw on top, about 6"-8" deep, more or less tucking the plants in for the growing season. Since the new potatoes form very close or even on top of the actual soil, it's important to keep them shaded from the sun (avoiding greening of the skins). This thicker layer of straw eliminates most weeding and watering (We had a very dry late summer, and I didn't have to water the strawed potatoes at all, but did have to water the "traditional" row weekly.) as well as making the row inhospitable to potato beetles (for some reason, they like to have easy access to the ground and the straw is almost a 100% effective beetle barrier). When the potato plants are in full bloom, that's the signal to reach under the straw and harvest small new potatoes without disturbing the whole plant. When the blooms die, that usually signals that the potatoes are about fully formed and I dig potatoes as needed the rest of the summer and fall. The ones I leave "in the ground", I can harvest as needed all winter unless we get lots of snow. Then they usually last safely until early spring. Any left or missed will sprout in late spring. I sometimes carefully dig up these "bonus" sprouting potatoes and use them to plant a new row! If you've never tried planting with straw, it works great. A bonus is having the rotted straw to turn under and enrich your garden in the spring. (NOTE to beebonnet: Since the potatoes have formed mostly above the actual soil, I bet you wouldn't have a moisture/rot problem over the winter. And in your zone, you wouldn't have to worry about them freezing and rotting. I find that potatoes sprout before we can use them all trying to store them in the basement, so keeping them under the straw works great for me most winters.)

Where do you get this straw? And, does straw ever start sprouting? What about nutrients for the potatoes? Fertilizer? Oh, and most importantly, how MUCH sunshine does the potato patch need to have? My sunshine is at a premium these days -- I believe I'm supposed to plant my potatoes on january 15th for the Houston area. Finally, is it too hot here for a good potato crop -- Zone 9a?

My straw came from Lowe's, and since it was a year old, any sprouts were the year before and long dead, or pulled out... I have some new straw now as mulch on a veggie bed but it MUST come off before spring. Last year the 'new straw' over my garlic sprouted so much that it was almost uncontrollable, plus robbed nutrients in competition with the garlic.

Thanks, Darius! Any insight on the other questions regarding required sunshine for the potato patch? that's my number 1 concern. I have only one more space available on the very edge of the property that I could possibly lay them out in. It gets dappled sunshine until around noon, with our sun moving from a southeast to southwesterly direction. Also, what's the temp cutoff for harvesting the spuds? if I plant some seed potatoes on/around january 15th, we'll have cool/cold temps until around March 15th-20th, our last frost date here, I believe. The it's on to the April showers. Did I just answer my own question, here?!!!

Last year was my first time growing potatoes so I don't have a lot of answers although Hoosier may...

My single row was in full sun until 1-2 pm when the tomatoes cast a shadow on them. My fingerlings growing in stacked old tires got a bit more shade but I have nothing for comparison. The yield seemed fine.

darius,

How did you do with the stacked tires. I tried it last summer and got a total bust. I would still like to be successful with it, but obviously I was either missing something or did it wrong. Details, please, on exactly what you did.

Karen

Placed the first tire and filled it with bagged "garden soil". Added a 2nd tire. Laid down the tubers, and covered with more soil, being sure all the interior of the tire was filled. (I wouldn't have used the bagged soil but all I had available here was sticky clay.) Kept them watered occasionally. When they finally started to sprout, I added a 3rd tire and started using a mulch/old straw mix around the base of the plants.

The tires held fingerlings, planted at the same time as the Yukon Gold's in the straw bale rows, but grew much slower. I don't know if that was because of the kind of potato, or the tires, or even the soil in the tires. Nonetheless, I felt the yield was decent. I think I probably could have stayed at just 2 tires for the fingerlings, but regular potatoes would need 3 tires.

Here's the fingerlings. You can see the tires behind them... the top tire was moved to the side to harvest.

I use straw available from local farmer's co-ops or garden centers. Since we're a farming area, even local farmers might put a sign out and sell surplus. As for seeds sprouting, be sure you use STRAW, not HAY. There might be a very few wheat seeds in the straw, and an occasional green weed, but hay will be loaded with all kinds of seeds, so don't make that mistake!

My garden gets all day sun, but I've raised potatoes before with half-day sun. Afternoon sun is better if it's half-day of course. Also, you can add a little fertilizer in the original furrow before you plant, one low in nitrogen (first number of the three). NO manure as that is thought to encourage black-heart and scab on the tubers. Well-rotted manure worked in the year before is OK though. I don't add fertilizer myself, but just work in some compost before planting.

Gymgirl: I think you'd have a long enough season to at least get a good crop of smaller, new potatoes in your area. I plant mine in late March and start harvesting new potatoes in early June, so I guess that's about 90 days.

I've heard of using tires, also old bottomless bushel baskets, chicken wire circles, etc. Even if you have bad soil, remember that the potatoes actually form on special stems that grow out of the shoots, NOT the roots themselves. So, if you work up the ground so that the seed potatoes can just root well, whatever you use from the ground up is just support material for the stems and tubers. As long as the developing tubers are shielded from the sun, they will develop in just about any material. I've heard of gardeners using shredded leaves, newspapers, etc. Regardless, growing potatoes is great fun, especially for kids. And, with the price of taters in the grocery stores, it's well worth it!

Thanks, HoosierGreen!

I'm thinking I'm gonna try this as soon as I can find some seed potatoes. I need Yukon Gold, and a red skinned type. I like the creamy potatoes vs. the mealy russet types.

HoosierGreen---Thank you for all the good info you have given us.--One last thing, though. When do you plant your potatoes? Potato planting month around here is March or even April, but I am wondering if they can be planted the way you do it in mid summer for a late fall and winter crop?

Thanks Darius and HoosierGreen, I've planted my potatoes already. I did them similar to your way. My planting beds are slightly higher than the paths, I dug a trench 5 inches deep, planted the spuds and barely covered with soil. When they were 5-6 inches tall, I pulled the dirt around them. After they grew more, I put a 4-5 inch layer of composted lawnmower hay (we bag all grass clippings, do not use any weed killer or chemicals on the lawn and compost for at least 6 months before using). I'll post a picture in a few minutes of the whole garden on another thread.
I think as the potatoes grow, I'll put more composted grass on them. I noticed that it helps to stabalize the plants in our wind. We're warm all winter, rarely if ever get a frost. Most days are upper 70's with nights in the upper 50's but the wind can be brutal especially if it's out of the north. Lettuce quits growing well in June, so I figured I had plenty of time to grow the potatoes. They were planted in late November.
Now another question, how do I store two 42 ft rows of potatoes when they're finished??? No basement or root cellar because the water table is so high. Temps in the summer get into the 90's with lots of sun and very little rain.

Yeah, how do you store 'em once they're done? Especially in the southern states where our summer days can average around 95-98 degrees, EASY!

Dark closet with an AC duct?

darius,

Thanks. I think maybe I kept them too wet. When you watered, did you water the straw part, too, or just the soil in the tires?

I can relate to the sticky clay -- and then it's like concrete when dry. LOL. Not only impossible to dig up, but plants in it can't put their roots out beyond the original planting hole. I have several plants I'm going to have to dig up and move next spring.

Karen

Mostly watered just the soil...

beebonnet: I plant my potatoes in late March to early April for a summer crop.

Calalily and Gymgirl: I would imagine that if your potatoes are grown under a good layer of straw or some other mulch, they would keep in the ground for quite a good while, even into the summer. The mulch will keep them shaded and relatively cool, and the moisture wouldn't be a problem if they are "high and dry". Once I dig mine, it's just a matter of a few weeks before they start to sprout. You can't refrigerate them or the starch turns to sugar and they lose good flavor. You'll have to keep us posted to see what you find out!

Gymgirl ~ you might consider planting them in leaves. I tried that last year after reading an article on DG about it. Just tried a small patch and enjoyed them. As it was hot when harvesting them, I didn't do anything with the leaf pile and after IKE dumped rain, I noticed I had potato plants sprouting again. Apparently had overlooked some of the potatoes. I harvested another mess of them after our first frost. This morning is walked by it again and saw a few small volunteer plants. I guess my thought is you should be able to leave them in mulch and growing and harvest as you wish. If you are interested, I will locate that DG article.

Hey Pod! You betcha! Please post the link to that article. I've got access to more bagged leaves than the law allows! This could be a good solution to my situation! LMK, and THANKS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

Gymgirl ~ sorry it took me a bit to find my way back here. I read your request at work and didn't get time to find the article. I did try this on a small scale this last year and was happy with the results. Only two things I need to change are a sunnier location and somewhere closer where I can water if needed. Good luck and Happy New Year back.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/435/

Do you think you could get the same results growing the potatoes under a very thick layer of leaves or leaves and grass mixture?

I would imagine leaves would work fine, but only if they are chopped so as not to pack down when wet. OR, like you ask, they could be mixed with dry grass or straw. I would think if you mixed leaved with fresh, green lawn clippings, it would heat up too much and not work. Any mix would have to be dry.

I grew potatoes last year under leaves. I have great soil in raised beds that i have used for growing taters for the past 20 years, but I've decided that using leaves was easier.
No digging involved, and the when the taters are harvested, they're clean.
Bee - no problems with those that stay in the ground here. I am north of you - in the Seattle metro area - I think we get lots more rain. I've never had a winter temperature problem, either.
However, mine are usually harvested by December. Little guys winter over in the ground to be used the following spring.

Mine in leaves actually stayed too dry here. I sure don't think there is any danger of rot when planting in leaves.

Katye ~ did you notice the taste when grown in leaves was different from soil?

No taste difference to me. I anticipated this, though & planted a few in-ground. I concluded from my non-scientific experiment that they tasted the same.
We have much more rainfall here, so that's not an issue until August - our normally bone-dry month. I really liked the easy harvest aspect, though: no casualties for the taters!

Katye,
Could you expound further on your raised bed potato areas, please? Most of what I would use if I were to build another raised bed just for potatoes would be recycled potting soil, composted leaves and Black Kow composted manure. Would this be an acceptable mix to grow the taters in?

Please lmk soonest as I'm desperately trying to sow all my seeds between this upcoming weekend and next, and I have to FIND some potato seeds. I'm gonna try the Whole Foods Markets here in town to see if they might have some organic varieties that haven't been chemically altered. I read somewhere that these could be used as seed starts. Thanks!

Actually, you can use any "store bought" potatoes as seed potatoes if you can find some that look like they are starting to sprout. Even those potatoes treated to not sprout eventually do. Any potato can be planted and used in the garden. They might not be organically grown, but you can raise them that way! If you do find some at Whole Foods, etc. just pick out the smallest ones for seed potatoes and plant the whole potato, or you can cut larger ones up into smaller pieces, each with at least one good "eye" that is sprouting. I like to use whole small ones so that I don't have to worry about possible rot. If you do use cut up pieces, it's best to let them air-dry for a couple of days.

Thanks, HoosierGreen!

Gymgirl: I have all raised beds for my veg garden, to ensure great drainage & the soil warming up a bit earlier. The ones I used for the potatoes are 4' x 8', and vary in height from 12" to 24".
I constructed them in 1986, so the soil has been amended considerably over the years. These beds have fluffy soil - you can plunge your fist into it to grab the taters, but the deeper you go, the soil is more firm, so I've always used a spading fork to get the wanderers. I've traditionally used the hilling method - cover them as they grow, and keep mounding the soil up. Also tried this in a large trash can with the bottom cut out: when they stop flowering, you turn it on its side to harvest - no digging, but can be messy.

About a year ago, I read an article about potatoes not needing very enriched soil, and that they could be grown with a straw covering. Then, an article in DG about using leaves.
This time, I laid them on the soil in slight depressions, and mounded leaves over the top. When they popped up above the leaves, I added more leaves, and so on. Same as the soil method.
To keep the leaves in the bed, I fashioned two wire fence "corrals", about 30 - 36" high or so. As the taters grew, I added more leaves, and occasionally some shredded paper & grass clippings, until I got almost to the top. Actually, ran out of leaves!

Watering: don't know how this would be for you - it rains a lot here, so the end of July through August is when I get serious about watering.
I thought it was pretty cool that you could harvest by "feel". I was warned about snakes & rodents, but no sign of rodents. The snakes here are non-poisonous, and I wasn't sure they'd hide in the leaves, anyway - there are many great spots for the snakes on my property.
The potatoes were generally the same size compared to growing in soil, no detectable taste difference, & the texture was excellent - I was impressed.
That's about it. I will do it again this year. This frees up the deeper beds for other crops.
And I don't have to deal with the digging in wet soil for the final fall crop.
Did I leave anything out? LMK ! =:0)

I am going to try this. My didn't do diddly in the tires last year. Don't know what the cause was.

Katye,
I'm tagging your last post! The only thing that could possibly top that would be a PICTURE of your potato bed(s)!

Since the seed potatoes are supposed to be planted in soil, then covered with leaves as they grow, do you think I could put down several layers of cardboard over a grassy patch, then several inches of purchased soil, put the seeds in the soil, and continue from there with the leaves? I ask because of the rotten red clay here. Just like concrete!!

Cajun, the tires didn't do diddley for me either. I sympathize. I searched the internet trying to find out what I might have done differently from those who had good results in the tires. I really didn't find anything at all that stood out. The only possibility I could see was that maybe I kept them too wet. Otherwise, it's still a mystery to me.

Karen

Glad to know I wasn't the only failure with that. LOL I'll be glad to try the leaves this year. Sounds much cleaner and lighter. Those tires are heavy buggers.

Cajun,

Yes, they were VERY heavy. I had to have my teenage granddaughter help me with them. And, as it turned out, all for nothing, too.

Karen

I was very disappointed. I moved 6 big tires and nearly killed myself. Looking forward to those light weight leaves!

YIPPEE!!!!!

My Whole Foods Store here has organic Yukon Golds and Red Creamers for $1.69/lb. I'm heading there for my lunch break.

I'm gonna grow these in the little flowerbed beneath two Trees. The last two seasons, I started tossing all the grass clippings and leaves my DH raked up in the yard. It's bordered with two levels of bricks to hold them in, but I could easily wrap some wire around the bed to keep the leaves and potatoes in. This is great!

It gets fairly good light, and actually some sunlight for a coupla hours a day under the trees.

Ya'll pray for my success. I'm hoping to surprise the DH 'cause he won't have a clue what's planted in that flowerbed. I just wish I could put something else in it with the 'taters 'cause it sits fairly visibly in the yard. But, no matter, I'll make it neat and cute!

Here's a pic of the flowerbed (2 years ago it had coleus in it and when I was a SuperUberNewbie)!