Today while doing some cleanup around the garden, I discovered that the greenery on the potatoes was severely ding back. I decided today was the day to pull the plants and take whatever potatoes were in there. I don't have a scale, but it was quite a bit (4X3 bed and on only the back portion was planted with seed potatoes). We had a lunch of fresh french fries and they were good.
Well before I pulled the last plant stalk I noticed a tomato horn worm, then another. I looked at the stalks that I just pulled and there was one there too. After research I discovered that potatoes are in the nightshade family (same as tomatoes), so I assume that is why the horn worms were attracted to it. I never noticed them before, so this whole time they were stripping the plant down. No problem. Next year I know what to do, plus the next bed will be a lot deeper so that I can get more potatoes.
Well before I pulled the last plant stalk I noticed a tomato horn worm, then another. I looked at the stalks that I just pulled and there was one there too. After research I discovered that potatoes are in the nightshade family (same as tomatoes), so I assume that is why the horn worms were attracted to it. I never noticed them before, so this whole time they were stripping the plant down. No problem. Next year I know what to do, plus the next bed will be a lot deeper so that I can get more potatoes.
You can see in the background of this photo that some of the greenery is dying back.
The photo below was taken upside down, Those are onions at the front of the bed.
You can really tell below which seed potatoes took.
Potatoes first emerging
That's great! I haven't tried any root crops since resuming gardening 2yrs ago, but I remember potatoes being the most rewarding. You can try the "potato box" idea or the cheaper method of berming up soil around the plant as new growth develops. It won't rot the leaves- in fact, it prompts the plant to set roots along the newly-buried stem, which increase the tater yield. You can continue that pattern more or less indefinitely (until it becomes too tall to contain, basically).
ReplyDeleteThe only challenges aside from diseases are heavy rains or burrowing things. In that sense, the potato box is superior. But only in that sense.
Thanks Paul for the comment. I am looking to build some potato boxes for next year. I just got through changing out most of my boxes that I previously built with scrap lumber (and with all the rain we recently got they are now coming apart and I have some wood left over and I thought I would make planter boxes, but now that I think of it I can build potato boxes instead.
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