Growing spuds in a box

johngalway

I have been poking around on Google and I keep seeing this theory about growing 100lbs of spuds in 4 square feet of space, namely a box that you build up the soil level as the plant grows. I've looked, and looked and found a few sites with people who were in the process of trying but I've not found one yet who's actually done it successfully.

Has anyone here tried it or is it a gimmick?

Cardinal Richelieu

johngalway wrote: »

I have been poking around on Google and I keep seeing this theory about growing 100lbs of spuds in 4 square feet of space, namely a box that you build up the soil level as the plant grows. I've looked, and looked and found a few sites with people who were in the process of trying but I've not found one yet who's actually done it successfully.

Has anyone here tried it or is it a gimmick?

Its a sound theory, the potatoes are actually produced by the haulm(stem) not the roots. Bob Flowerdew the organic gardener recommended using tires(thread in gardening ranting about the health risks of this) instead of a box, as the plant grows he adds a new tire to the top and fills with soil and so on. Easier to dig than a box too, just remove the tires. Found this blog demonstrating the method. If you used lorry tires and then used decreasing size tires it should be more stable. Often this method is used for new potatoes for Xmas or Easter.

shawnee

I grew them this year in a potato sack, a kind of plasticy sack that I bought for 2 euro. I also tried growing them in the ground and got a superb crop in the sack and very poor return in the ground. Will definitely do the same next year. Very simple to do. Just put a few potatoes in the bottom and keep adding soil/ compost and keep watered.;)

No6

I have grown spuds in plastic rubble sacks for the last few years, 2 for 6 sacks!! put a few holes in the bottom with a nail and keep filling the bag up with soil as the spuds grow.

foxylock

I always use the old fashioned bed system for growing the spuds but last year I used the tyres as an experiment and it worked fine. It's only small scale though, to feed my critters I need nearly a quarter of an acre of spuds per year!! I would need some heap of tyres.

Did anyone get caught out with the frost last year? I hadn't time to dig mine so I left them in the beds and 90% of them were untouched by jack frost. Much more organised this year though all out of the ground now.

Sam Kade

shawnee wrote: »

I grew them this year in a potato sack, a kind of plasticy sack that I bought for 2 euro. I also tried growing them in the ground and got a superb crop in the sack and very poor return in the ground. Will definitely do the same next year. Very simple to do. Just put a few potatoes in the bottom and keep adding soil/ compost and keep watered.;)

How did you get such a poor return from ground ones? Only reason I can think of is not weeding them.

Cardinal Richelieu

Sam Kade wrote: »

How did you get such a poor return from ground ones? Only reason I can think of is not weeding them.

Could be a any number of reasons such as

• Frost
• Poor soil nutrition
• Old seed
• Disease
• Poor watering
• Poor spacing

eatmedrinkme

johngalway wrote: »

I have been poking around on Google and I keep seeing this theory about growing 100lbs of spuds in 4 square feet of space, namely a box that you build up the soil level as the plant grows. I've looked, and looked and found a few sites with people who were in the process of trying but I've not found one yet who's actually done it successfully.

Has anyone here tried it or is it a gimmick?

I have read of people building cheap wooden frames. The soil and spuds go in the first rectangular frame. Then, for eathing up, a second frame of the same size is put on top, and earyhed up, and then a third. Maximises sunlight to the plant, and you get a box of spuds at the end, which is easy to harvest and take apart. You could use the same structure as a winter cold frame, with glass on it.

finbarrk

Could they be planted anytime in that tyre thing?