Potato Boxes

[brl]

Here is the progress on our potato boxes.

Here is a pic before covering they were covered 6/10


Here is after


If anyone has potato boxes post up some pics of your progress.

[rendezvous]

Just did my first back fill with my potato box...

[hogkiller]

Here's mine. They've been mounded 3 times and the 3 plants i have in the raised bed mounded twice. Starting to see flower buds on a couple plants.

If it works out decent this year i'm taking boards all the way to the top.

[brl]

Looking good boys! I cant wait to see how they all turn out. I planted my potatoes memorial day. When did you guys get yours in?

[rendezvous]

May 27th, usually anything planted before the 31st can be risky.

[brl]

Jun 16, 2015 20:17:14 GMT -5 rendezvous said:

May 27th, usually anything planted before the 31st can be risky.

Same here I planted the rest of the garden on the 6th.

[js]

Well didnt do boxes this year, opted to try em in grow bags. So far so good. These are the purple taters.

[topper]

Jun 16, 2015 6:30:30 GMT -5 brl said:

Here is the progress on our potato boxes.

Here is a pic before covering they were covered 6/10


Here is after


If anyone has potato boxes post up some pics of your progress.

Could you give us some details for those log - raised beds?

[brl]

[/quote]Could you give us some details for those log - raised beds?[/quote]


I'll take some pics when I get home tonight. Basically it's just poplar logs that I full scribed, log cabin style. I just thru it together real quick.

[topper]

Jun 18, 2015 7:50:56 GMT -5 brl said:

Could you give us some details for those log - raised beds?[/quote]


I'll take some pics when I get home tonight. Basically it's just poplar logs that I full scribed, log cabin style. I just thru it together real quick. [/quote]

***
Is the black material geo-textile, filter fabric? Goes by different names.

[brl]

Here are a couple of pics of the raised beds. The black stuff is weed fabric and some roof guard I had left. The last one is a hollowed out poplar log.

[topper]

Jun 18, 2015 19:08:12 GMT -5 brl said:

Here are a couple of pics of the raised beds. The black stuff is weed fabric and some roof guard I had left. The last one is a hollowed out poplar log.

Thanks. Live and learn.  Good idea using logs, can't beat the price.

[hogkiller]

Jun 17, 2015 19:04:41 GMT -5 js said:

Well didnt do boxes this year, opted to try em in grow bags. So far so good. These are the purple taters.

That's pretty cool js. Love making chips with those little purple taters,,,don't know what it is but they're pretty tasty!

[js]

Jun 19, 2015 17:32:08 GMT -5 hogkiller said:

Jun 17, 2015 19:04:41 GMT -5 js said:

Well didnt do boxes this year, opted to try em in grow bags. So far so good. These are the purple taters.

That's pretty cool js. Love making chips with those little purple taters,,,don't know what it is but they're pretty tasty!

Never tried makin chip with em. Gonna have to try that if these work out. They are awesome tasting. We usually fry em up with onions, some kinda green, and venison.

[brl]

The potatoes are growing like crazy! I can't even imagine how well they would be doing if we nice weather (been pretty rainy here the last couple weeks) I need to bury again. The boxes will be 40" tall after! The rest of the garden is starting to take off. I need to finish weeding the big bed, but finding the time lately has been tough. My oldest has his all-star tournament this weekend and my youngest has his last game monday so I'll have more time around the house. I'll get more pics up when I get the potatoes buried. Brian

[rendezvous]

Backfiiled the second level and added the third level of boards...

[soldim]

Jun 25, 2015 10:34:02 GMT -5 rendezvous said:

Backfiiled the second level and added the third level of boards...

Can you easily unscrew to start harvesting from the bottom? That seems to neat to me, to eat your new potatoes while the plants keep growing....

[rendezvous]

Jun 26, 2015 1:53:27 GMT -5 soldim said:

Jun 25, 2015 10:34:02 GMT -5 rendezvous said:

Backfiiled the second level and added the third level of boards...

Can you easily unscrew to start harvesting from the bottom? That seems to neat to me, to eat your new potatoes while the plants keep growing....

I've seen them being harvest from the bottom on a video, not sure of the timing for that? Also the back-filling timing? I could do the next boards now, not sure if it is too soon?

[brl]

I've been back filling leaving about 5-6" above the soil exposed. It hasn't effected the plants from growing, I have no idea what it's doing underground though? We shall see! Rendenvous how many seeds did you plant in there?

[rendezvous]

Jun 26, 2015 11:25:58 GMT -5 brl said:

I've been back filling leaving about 5-6" above the soil exposed. It hasn't effected the plants from growing, I have no idea what it's doing underground though? We shall see! Rendenvous how many seeds did you plant in there?

brl, from what I read, when the plant gets 12" tall back fill with 6" of soil, the same difference. I was away a little, when I got home I back filled it and added boards, it's already nearly 6" above them now! Maybe Monday?  I started with 5 seeds, the box is 2' x 2'. I'm always wondering whats happening underground in there, 100 pounds of potatoes would be awesome!

[brl]

I put 6 Seeds in each box (3) I hope I at least get my seed potatoes back!

[nytrapper23]

I don't want to sound like an idiot but what is the difference or advantage of the box or just planting in the ground?

[soldim]

Jun 26, 2015 13:35:35 GMT -5 nytrapper23 said:

I don't want to sound like an idiot but what is the difference or advantage of the box or just planting in the ground?

By continuously adding earth, each individual plant will produce many more potatoes than a plant planted in the ground*. Additionally, one could in theory start harvesting from the bottom while the top continues growing and producing potatoes.

* I've heard about adding layer upon layer of old, half rotten, straw to potatoes planted in the ground to accomplish a similar effect --dunno if it works tough.

[nytrapper23]

Oh ok, so more taters from a smaller area , and less plants? Got it might have to try that next year.

[rendezvous]

The rain stopped and then it started sprinkling as soon as I got out to the garden. I said the heck with it, I'm soaked, but just finished my third back fill on my potato box.

[brl]

Same here rendezvous. I think I need to add another 10" section. That will be it because they are starting to hint at flowering. I hope I have enough soil to finish because last night I blow a hydraulic hose right on my soil/compost pile Man was I pissed, ruined about 2 yards of soil/compost.

[hogkiller]

I got my last back fill last weekend,,another foot of compost. That makes for 3 1/2 feet of black dirt,compost and manure. My plant's are 5ft tall with no blooms yet,,i'm hoping in the next 2 weeks or so they bloom and start making taters,,all trial and error here.
The taters i planted in the garden box and mounded twice have bloomed and dropped and are starting to turn yellow at the bottoms,,,hope for the best i guess. lol

[rendezvous]

Jul 1, 2015 20:01:08 GMT -5 hogkiller said:

I got my last back fill last weekend,,another foot of compost. That makes for 3 1/2 feet of black dirt,compost and manure. My plant's are 5ft tall with no blooms yet,,i'm hoping in the next 2 weeks or so they bloom and start making taters,,all trial and error here.
The taters i planted in the garden box and mounded twice have bloomed and dropped and are starting to turn yellow at the bottoms,,,hope for the best i guess. lol

hogkiller, my potatoes started to form buds, Good? Bad? Should I pinch them off to continue back filling? Let it go and hope for the best?

[hogkiller]

Jul 1, 2015 20:15:11 GMT -5 rendezvous said:

Jul 1, 2015 20:01:08 GMT -5 hogkiller said:

I got my last back fill last weekend,,another foot of compost. That makes for 3 1/2 feet of black dirt,compost and manure. My plant's are 5ft tall with no blooms yet,,i'm hoping in the next 2 weeks or so they bloom and start making taters,,all trial and error here.
The taters i planted in the garden box and mounded twice have bloomed and dropped and are starting to turn yellow at the bottoms,,,hope for the best i guess. lol

hogkiller, my potatoes started to form buds, Good? Bad? Should I pinch them off to continue back filling? Let it go and hope for the best?

I haven't been told to pinch them off so i didn't. The more you mound though it seems the longer it takes to flower and start making potatoes,,,just my 2 cents but the plants seem to know,,that's what i'm basing this year on,,the plant's telling me what they want.

Hope someone with more knowledge of this can post soon.

[brl]

Here is a garden update. The potato boxes are 40" tall, I decided to let them go the way they are and not do another bury. We shall see at the end of the season. Peas and Beans are doing good and the tomatoes are doing Ok. We went away for the weekend camping and the garden was in need of some serious water! All in all things are going good!