No Dig Potatoes

[Ellen Peavey]

Is there any that knows how this works and have you tried it? I have read many articles on this method and want to try it. I have been saving newspaper and have save eight bales of straw for the top cover. I'm looking forward to Spring and all the planting that will get done.

[Ellen Peavey]

Hi Jodie I hope you won't mind I sent in your e-mail to Simply Living Smart it is where we took a class on Saturday for canning vegetables. I think you will find it very informing and we sat and watch it and took notes you have to register ahead of time. I'm on face book also my two daughters are always playing those games I don't play games like farmville. I like to be out side working in the garden, I have tow bad knee's and both feet are hurting but other then that I'm okay just take Advill or Alieve. You really sound like you have a big garden! I have a very small rotor tiller and I don't go in straight lines I like to try all kinds of new idea's like straw bale gardening it really works. I also have three compost piles lots of donkey bo-bo to work with. I have four grand children one boy Devin who is fourteen and three girls Jessica almost 13, Alley 12, Raquel 11. I help take care of them and tey help me with the animals and the gardening. Had to go fill up the gold fish pond it has a leak my son in law is going to change the liner, I just got soaking wet oh well it is very hot here up to 90 today.I still have three more cantaloupes to plant and green beans. Tonight I have to water the corn patch on Mothers Day my son in law rotor tilled up a corn patch for me down in the small forest where the dirt is really good and a little bit of sun comes thru.My e-mail is [e-mail], this is my first year in Colbert so I'm hoping for a really good garden. I picked another raised garden bed at Sam's for $39.00 yesterday, I'm tired of dragging 2by8's up to the garden plot we have a lot of sloped ground so it is a challenge  and all the wonderful rocks. I will try and find you on face book and try to get on your site. I learn basic canning from my ex Mother in law too I live in Idaho for seven years before I got divorced and move to Georgia. I was married for twenty five years  have not remarried like being single and taking care of the grand kids. I have to cut down a small bush tomorrow that is shading my tomatoe bed I tried today but it starting getting too hot had to come inside. I used bamboo poles for my pea's they are really climbing it the squash all has very big yellow flowers the tomatoes are really small yet. I have my strawberry plant in a very big container too many squirrels here. I also have a small lemon tree and lime tree in containers, I got a tulip bush for my daughter. Well I have to go now have to pick up my grand son from school only nine more days of school and then I pick up my other daughter from college. Look forward to hearing from you.

[Jodie Westwood]

You sound like my friend Jean.  Was was NEVER going to marry again, but I succumbed to a wonderful man who is the "typical" man but is truly wonderful helping me with any project I come up with.  We are frying up here.  94 today and my poor squash and beans.  Fish must smell good in 90 degrees.  LOL

[Ellen Peavey]

It was very warm here yesterday up to 90 and suppose to be hotter today the sun is good for the tomatoes, but we need some rain. The fish don't smell that good have to keep filling up the fish pond, got good and wet yesterday when I tried to pull the nozzle off the end of hose but did get the pond filled up. I still don't know how those two fish survived the winter but the gold fish is bigger then ever. So today I'm going to get my hair cut too thick and too hot, maybe then the water and sweat can run thru it.  I still have to get the green beans planted today and the three small cantaloupe plants sitting in the peat pots.  Your house looks really nice we have tree's surrounding our house to, it helps some but still very hot and humid thank goodness for the air condition.  I'm not going out in the pasture today waiting for Thursday suppose to be a little cooler, too much else to do any way I keep checking those potatoes have to keep them covered with straw.  Well have to go now have to start getting the girls up for school.

[Tara Pendleton]

I grow potatoes in a 5 Gallon planter bucket. They have won blue ribbons at the local county fair, for 2 years now.

It is easy. Flip bucket and pull out potatoes.

It all started with some potato peels.

They are the best taste ever! Even blow away the best organic produce at the health food store. That was a nice surprise for me.

 

Can someone please explain how I can post photos here?

I have pictures of this.

Tara

[Ellen Peavey]

Please explain how you did this!! I tried the lasagna method and I didn't get one potato so next year I want to try something different. Yours really sounds really easy and it works. I live in North East Georgia e-mail address is [e-mail]     Thanks,  Ellen

[George Gobble]

Have done it for a couple of years now and it works great. I bury my seed potatoes about 2 inches in the ground and put 6 -10 inches of straw on them and forget about them until I see blossoms on them and then I know all is going good in the soil. You can even plant them a few weeks before the last frost if you really wanted to.

[Catherine Flora Hammen]

Just raked up a ton of maple leaves from my front yard on Saturday, was going to compost them, after reading everyone's suggestions, thinking I might try to start some potatoes under them instead.  Live in WA state, just had our first freeze last night...so I won't be heartbroken if they don't turn out...just an experiement.

[Ellen Peavey]

        I think you should wait until March, they are usually planted on Saint Patrick's Day the luck of the Irish. It will probably freeze them too cold and wet now, I live in north east Georgia and wouldn't think of planting potato's until March and I used straw not leaves.                                              Ellen

[Ariel]

I am uber curious about this tuber venture in the bucket pics please...Using pine straw as a mock raised bed is great too, I take four bales arranged in a square or row and loosen the middle top with layers of vermicompost and water in for one week add soil/compost top and water in either transplants ready or new seeds, at the end of the vege beds season I turn the now well decomposed incorporated mound into itself to keep a tidy built up bed or row. ;) 

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden..."

--Thomas Jefferson

[Jodie Westwood]

I have tried the no dig potatoes two years in a row without success.  It has to be the soil as every potato peel (white) I threw out all winter long comes up in every raised bed I have and not by my choice thanks to helpful critters.  This year I had the best sweet potato crop ever grown in a raised bed, full sun, horse manure

[Ellen Peavey]

Jodie Westwood said:

I have tried the no dig potatoes two years in a row without success.  It has to be the soil as every potato peel (white) I threw out all winter long comes up in every raised bed I have and not by my choice thanks to helpful critters.  This year I had the best sweet potato crop ever grown in a raised bed, full sun, horse manure

[Ellen Peavey]

                              I have tried the no dig in a lasagna bed and got nothing, the potato's came up and then died. I don't know if some critter like a squirrel or chipmunk ate them. This year back to the original way, sweet potato's did very well in the raised beds just didn't plant enough of them.