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Re: [sqft] Potato Farming

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Hello, Jean,

I have never grown potatoes by the sqft system, but I'll tell you how 
I've grown them a couple of times in the past few years (I've been on 
the move so haven't had many gardens lately.)  Years and years ago 
(I've just dated myself) in the old Organic Gardening and Farming 
Magazine, there were many articles about Ruth Stout's method of no-till 
gardening.  For years, she'd placed heavy mulch of hay over her garden 
area, then just pulled aside the mulch in a narrow row or area and 
planted her seed.  I tried this with potatoes by laying the sprouted 
pieces on the surface of soil I'd loosened and was free of weeds.  I 
covered the potatoes with 6 to 12 inches of hay.  The potato sprouts 
came up through the hay and it seemed there was less trouble with the 
Colorado Potato Beetle.  Handpicking took care of those few.  As summer 
progressed, I'd pull aside the hay covering and scrounge the largest 
potatoes from the clump for eating, then re-cover with mulch and water 
heavily so they'd continue to grow and the small potatoes would 
enlarge.  When the vines either had dried completely or there was a 
frost to kill the still-living vines, I'd remove the mulch and harvest 
all the remaining potatoes.

I'd think in a 9 sq.ft. bed = 3'x3', you could plant 5 potato seed:
                              x  x
                                x
                              x  x
The vines would overrun the bed, but this would be of maximum 
utilization.  Perhaps someone has actually grown potatoes by the sqft 
system, and would have a better spacing suggestion.                     
          
Barbara Davis       zone 7/8       southwest of Fort Worth, TX


 
> Hello,
> 
> I've never posted to this list before, but I plan to start a square foot
> garden next spring.  This will be my first experience gardening so I'm
> doing some research to improve my odds of success.  One of the things I
> would like to try are potatoes.  The square foot information I have read
> (the book, and some website info.) do not refer to this crop.  Does
> anyone have any information that would help me?
> 
> As with some other crops, I am assuming that one potato plant will take
> up a fair number of squares, however, I am not sure how many.  Nor am I
> sure how deep a bed I should account for in my planning.  I will be
> using raised beds as the soil in my location is wretched and not even
> worth improving, just by-passing, and depth would be a consideration.
> 
> Hope there are some experienced potato farmers out there.
> 
> Jean
> jsuth@internetcds.com
> 
> 
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