I just came across
this excellent article on Rodale’s Organic Life where Doug Hall tested out seven different (and often creative) ways to grow potatoes.
He really had quite the test plot. Imagine growing potatoes in all these different ways and then comparing the pros and cons of each:
- Hilled Rows
- Straw Mulch
- Raised Bed
- Grow Bag
- Garbage Bag
- Wood Box
- Wire Cylinder
And that’s exactly what he did. In fact he quickly describes each method and what was good and not so good about each.
Go read about it here…
Otherwise, I’ve heard that old tires can make a good grow bed for potatoes too. Just an 8th idea. [UPDATE: There are some concerns with using old tires in your garden. It sounds like they should only be used short term or maybe you could line them with a garbage bag or something similar. You can
read more about the concerns here.]
As always, please share this with your friends and let me know what you think in the comments!
8 Comments
verna
May 27, 2015I plan to try to grow bags very soon. Thanks much
Paul
May 28, 2015You’re welcome Verna!
C
May 31, 2015Thank you for an interesting survey. Last year my potatoes did not do well; whereas everyone else did quite well. I am sure my problem was not enough watering. With less watering i only gleaned 1/4 of my normal harvest and they were 1/2 the size as well; quite disappointing.
Paul
June 1, 2015Oh no! Sorry to hear about that! Hopefully they do better for you this year!
John Stephen Sundaraj
June 1, 2015Dear Bro. Paul,
Thank you so much for the valuable information you share to bless the lives of many. I like to visit your organic garden and learn more personally.Would it be possible? It might be some time in the 2nd week of July this year.
God bless your ministry. John
Paul
June 1, 2015Hi John,
Unfortunately I’m afraid I may be gone during the second week of July. I’d have to look at my schedule though. It would be nice if you could stop by and visit. I’d love to meet you!
Send me an email if you are interested in nailing down a date.
Karen Laurence
June 2, 2015Hello, had a question about growing potatoes – is there any chemicals that can leech into the soil from old tires?
Thanks
Paul
June 2, 2015Hi Karen,
Great question! I hadn’t thought of that and did a little research about it. It looks like there are some concerns with using tires and so they should either be used short term or maybe you could line them with a garbage bag or something similar. Here is a link where you can read more about the concerns (plus I’ve update the post above with the same link).
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