Ready salted potato master plan/experiment.

baords dyslexic

We have lots of room in a very big garden but I don't want to turn any more of it over to vegtables as I like the view of the sea from the house so I'm trying to get more veg into a smaller space. The ground at the back of the house can't be used as its basically a pile of quarry waste because there was a large pond and outbuildings on the land and the pond was filled in and the outbuildings knocked down.

So enough of my excuses for not having a bigger veg garden but in order to get a bit more into a smaller space I decided to have a go at growing spuds in a container - sort of.

What I have is a 3ft(ish) diameter 4ft 3ft high round chicken wire compost bin filled with fresh seaweed off the beach with potatoes planted in this as I filled it. Its a bit more complcated than that so I'll explain. About a foot of seaweed was put in the "cage" which is just on garden soil and then I put 5 seed potatoes around the edge (about 2 inch back from the wire) the eyes on the spuds were placed facing outwards. Obviously I want these potatoes to grow out the side of the cage and not the top so I placed a folded up piece of paper over the top of each one to force the growth sideways. The peices of paper were a single sheet of broadsheet newspaper folded in half and half again untill it was 16 thicknesses thick - I hope that will stay together long enough to do the job before it rots. The process was then repeated with another 9inches to a foot of seaweed with another 5 potatoes planted with their paper covering, after 4 layers I was near enough the top to get another 9inch of seaweed then five spuds planted in the top to grow upwards and another covering this time of about 6inches of seaweed.

Before anyone says anything I know there are potential issues with this experiment so here's a list.....

I'm at least 2 weeks too early - might need some frost protection
The seaweed on its own may be too salty to grow anything
The seaweed might get too hot as it rots and kill the new growth
The potatoes might rot in a hot compost heap of seaweed
The potatoes might all try and grow upwards
The seaweed might rot too quickly and leave the potatoes hanging off the wire.

Worst case senario is I'll end up with a wheel barrow load of very good compost with a few volunteer potatoes in it.

I've posted this in a thread of its own as I hope to update it as and when it suceeds or fails.

I used a first early Colleen (yum, but its a firm spud not a flowery Irish type one) as its a variety I liked when I first tried it 8 years ago its also a recommended variety for orgainc growing. 25 egg sized seed potatoes planted, not chitted but all showing signs of buds on the eyes.

I'll try and firm up on some details in my next post which should have some explainitory pics - I might not have made much sence so far:rolleyes:

baords dyslexic

The raw material



The first layer showing one paper "growing guide", eyes facing outward


First layer with all the growing guides held in place with seaweed



From the outside


And repeat untill:
Finished ready to grow - last layer (5 total) just planted in the top to grow straight up.


or become an experiment in composting

cruizer101

I'm not too knowledgable on this but I see a problem. Potatoes actually grow from the stem of the plant not the roots. One of the most productive ways of growing potatoes is to let it grow up a bit then cover the stem and do this a few times. I read a thread on it in gardening about using old tyres.

Here is one although I was sure the one I read had more info in it
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=72664576

baords dyslexic

You are right there but as I said this is an experiment the top tubers will get that treatment and be earthed up with more seaweed but I suspect there will be some upward growth through the growing media from the potatoes further down which will give the same effect. I might have a problem with greening as I can't earth up the ones growing in the sides so I might see if I can wrap it around later IF anything develops with some strips of old woven geotextile. Also as its a first early variety they wouldn't get as much earthing up as a main crop if they were grow on the flat.

What I'm trying to do is utilise the vertical space as much as possible which bugg€rs up traditional earthing up. My concern is far more with the seaweed. I had a couple of plants that must have grown from peelings grow out of the side of the main compost heap and that was what gave me the idea.

Doc Ruby

Nice, very nice. I think you're normally meant to wash the seaweed a bit first to clear off the salt? I use salt as a cheap weedkiller on the driveway.

baords dyslexic

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Nice, very nice. I think you're normally meant to wash the seaweed a bit first to clear off the salt? I use salt as a cheap weedkiller on the driveway.

Ideally I should have beached the seaweed frist that is pulled it up into a pile at the top of the beach and let the rain wash it off a bit. If I did that it would get knicked :mad:. I use it as a mulch around a lot of crops and its fine and put it 6inches deep on the asparagus bed which is OK about salt - old books say to use salt as a fertiliser on asparagus. Last year I grew runner beans on a trench full of seaweed no problems but I'd got that the previous autumn so the salt would have washed out a bit. This year some early storms burried most of the main crop of seaweed under the stones at the top of the beach (it'll pong in the summer if its hot) and I missed out on getting it.

In the Aran Islands they mixed sea sand and seaweed to create the lazy beds to grow potatoes and I doubt they washed the sea sand off, I'd have done the same but you can't moan at other people taking sand off the beach and then do it yourself


Got into the swing of it now so will get a few more barrow loads for the reat of the garden.

Doc Ruby

Good stuff, don't strain anything and let us know how it gets on in a few months!