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Growing Potatoes in Straw
Hello,
I am planning to grow a row of potatoes in straw this year as I have heard that you get a better yield. I have read this American article: http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/VegFruit/potatoes.htm and this discussion http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.rec.gardening/ browse_thread/thread/b1eb4201de24cbe8/2355e3b834289e0d? lnk=gst&q=potatoes+straw&rnum=1#2355e3b834289e0d but I still have a few questions. My plan is to put the potatoes in a 9 inch trench filled with straw but I am unsure when I should apply more straw. The web page says: "As potato plants emerge, add another four-to-six inches of straw." Do I do this immediately or once the plants are 4-6 inches tall. Should I completely cover the new growth?. Do I repeat this when the new growth emerges? I have also read about growing potatoes in boxes/tyres. Is this the same principle accept that a stacking box allows you to add more layers of straw? thanks for any advice. Thomas |
Growing Potatoes in Straw
wrote in message oups.com... Hello, I am planning to grow a row of potatoes in straw this year as I have heard that you get a better yield. I have read this American article: http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/VegFruit/potatoes.htm and this discussion http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.rec.gardening/ browse_thread/thread/b1eb4201de24cbe8/2355e3b834289e0d? lnk=gst&q=potatoes+straw&rnum=1#2355e3b834289e0d but I still have a few questions. My plan is to put the potatoes in a 9 inch trench filled with straw but I am unsure when I should apply more straw. The web page says: "As potato plants emerge, add another four-to-six inches of straw." Do I do this immediately or once the plants are 4-6 inches tall. Should I completely cover the new growth?. Do I repeat this when the new growth emerges? I started to read the fist cite you gave but didn't bother to complete it as it's ridiculously complex and more work than is needed. I've grown spuds under straw for years. This is how I do it. Decide where you are going to put the plot - anywhere will do - previously prepared ground, grass or a weed strewn patch. If the area is full of long grass and weeds then slash it or trample down the weeds. Put the spuds which have good eyes on the ground in a grid pattern - about 18 inches appart seems to work for me. Cover the spuds with straw fluffed and loosened till they are about 3 fett under the straw. shovel on heaps of manure of some sort. water well then top with aobut 3 more feet of fluffed up straw. Water again. Walk away. When the spuds have emerged and about a foot all, you'll notice that the fluffed up straw has collapsed a lot. Put on more fluffed up straw till only about 6 inches of the spuds are showing. Repeat as necessary to make sure that the spuds are weel covered and won't end up being green. Remember that spuds, like tomatoes will put out new roots all up the stem and thus be able to form more spuds wherever they put out new roots. I have also read about growing potatoes in boxes/tyres. Is this the same principle accept that a stacking box allows you to add more layers of straw? Yep and also takes advantage of the feature that I mentioned of putting out new roots right up the stem. |
Growing Potatoes in Straw
On 1 Mar, 12:47, wrote:
I have also read about growing potatoes in boxes/tyres. Boxes, sacs and any form of containers yes, but not tyres. Tyres have chemicals which are toxic to plants (and to you if you are eating it) - if it's flowers, which I do grow in go-kart tyres, then it's ok, unless your plant is suseptible to the chemicals in the tyres. But food stuff is not advisable. Tyres leachates can kill entire aquatic communities of algae, zooplankton, snails (perhaps a good point there) and fish, but also seaweeds and phytophlankton. A tyre contains aluminum, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, sulfur, and zinc. They've tried to recycle tyres in landscaping but found that it was very flamable and plants have been shown to accumulate abnormally high levels of zinc sometimes to the point of death. So I wouldn't use tyres to grow my potatoes in ;o) |
Growing Potatoes in Straw
On Thu, 1 Mar 2007 22:08:42 GMT, Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from "La Puce" contains these words: So I wouldn't use tyres to grow my potatoes in ;o) Bob Flowerdew seemed to have no problems using the 'tyre' method. I tried it once. It foundered not on the theoretical objection of the tubers picking up nasty substances from the vulcanized rubber, but on the thoroughly practical objection that I ended up with less tuber biomass than I planted in the first place. However, I tried the method because I saw it demoed on TV (probably was Bob F), and the end product as I recall was a stack of tyres about four feet high, stuffed to the gunnels with potatoes. So I must have done something wrong ... Andy -- spargeatbtinternetdotcom FWIW(NVM),IMO(NVH)... |
Growing Potatoes in Straw
"Andy Spragg" wrote I tried it once. It foundered not on the theoretical objection of the tubers picking up nasty substances from the vulcanized rubber, but on the thoroughly practical objection that I ended up with less tuber biomass than I planted in the first place. However, I tried the method because I saw it demoed on TV (probably was Bob F), and the end product as I recall was a stack of tyres about four feet high, stuffed to the gunnels with potatoes. So I must have done something wrong ... I'll bet you forgot to add the gro-faster stripes. ;) -- Sue |
Growing Potatoes in Straw
On 1 Mar, 22:08, Anne Jackson wrote:
Bob Flowerdew seemed to have no problems using the 'tyre' method. My body, my temple. Anyway, I've got longer hair than him which prooves chemicals are bad for you ... ;o) |
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